To the best of my recollection, there was only one school project I ever truly cared about. It’s the only one I fully invested myself in—and the only one I’m still proud of today.
In the fall of 1983, I walked into Mr. Navarre’s 8th grade Earth Science class. He didn’t smile much. He had a reputation for throwing erasers. Most students thought he was a grouch. But what I remember most wasn’t his personality. It was his passion.
This man loved rocks.
Every summer, he traveled across the country collecting them. Throughout the year, he didn’t just talk about his collection—he shared it. His major project was for us to build a rock box with 50 compartments. For every rock we memorized—the minerals in it, where it was found, and how it was used—he would give it to us.
I decided I wanted all 50.
So I studied. I memorized. I kept going. Not because I loved rocks. I didn’t. I just wasn’t the type of kid who enjoyed building things.
I wanted him to be proud.
More than 30 years later, that rock box still sits on a shelf in my office. And here’s the truth: I still don’t care much about rocks. But I cared deeply about his passion. It was contagious.
Whenever someone asks me about a teacher who impacted my life, I think of Mr. Navarre. Because if you can get an 8th grade boy excited about rocks, you’re doing something right.
That rock box is a reminder. Passion matters. Energy matters. Enthusiasm matters.
Students may forget the content.
But they never forget how you made them feel.
And wherever I go, and whatever I do, I hope to bring a little bit of Mr. Navarre with me.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Cheers!
Danny
