I have been a teacher for 54 years, and the most joyous time I have had in education was working with Jack Rice. I had heard about him for years from his students. They loved him, admired him, and respected him, and when we worked together I soon understood why. Jack was an extraordinary teacher—he made English interesting and fun for the kids. But much more than that, Jack was an extraordinary human. He cared deeply for the art and craft of teaching, but more importantly, he cared about kids. He saw what was special in each one, and helped them to see it too. Karl Menninger said, “What a…