Obituary

Pin It Read, before you panic.



A local teacher passed away as the result of a tragic automobile collision on January 9, 2009. J. Zimmerman was born on September 9 in California to Mr. George Zimmerman and Kathleen Scott, he was proceeded in death by Simon, his younger brother.

“Mr. Z,” as he was affectionately known to his students, was struck by an unidentified parent while on afternoon bus duty January 9, 2009. Mr. Z had rushed into the busy intersection to the aide of one of his students who’d ventured into traffic; he was struck by an oncoming car. He sustained many injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics.

Mr. Zimmerman spent much of his life in the service of the children he cared about so much; veteran teacher in his own time—though only having taught for 7 years previous to his passing. He will be missed by all. One teary-eyed student, only identified as ‘Joey,’ said: “I’ve never had a teacher give me as much homework as Mr. Z. I always complained about it, but now I’m really going to miss it.”

Mr. Z had never considered becoming a teacher while growing up; he was bound and determined to pursue a field in cinematography and movie editing. It was while he was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that he made the decision to become a teacher. Surprisingly, this decision came about when volunteering at a private Catholic school.

Upon his return to Washington State, he attended college and soon received his associates’ degree—the first member of his family to complete college. He later attended BYU and graduated with a 3.8 grade-point average. After college, Mr. Z was hired by the Provo School District and taught 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades for seven years. Mr. Z was very active in the after-school programs, and during his fourth year as an educator was recognized as the Provo School District Teacher of the Year. Two years later, he was acknowledged by the Milken Foundation as one of the top educators in the state of Utah.

Mr. Zimmerman had a successful photography business; and he explored many of the deserts of southern Utah. He was always on a trip someplace in the desert; sometimes he’d be gone for weeks on end, making regular calls when he had cell service to let his family and a few friends know where he was. He was able to capture the beauty of the world around him through the lens of his camera, and it was this beauty he sought to share with those he loved.

Mr. Z is survived by his parents and four siblings. Mr. Zimmerman’s services will be held on Monday, January 12, 2009 at Beesley Memorial Home. His remains will then be cremated and scattered by Rob Evans, a friend and local pilot, over the San Rafael Swell Desert, his home away from home.

Contributions, or comments, may be made in his honor on this site.




Okay, my class is currently studying the varied facets of newspapers and yesterday we dabbled into obituaries. The students were then given an assignment…they were to author their own obituary…deciding when and how they would die. While I had some students who chose to be pushed into vats of toxic acid, and others who merely fell into a slumber from which they did not awake, I decided on a more ‘heroic’ demise.

I will say this, they’d never been so excited to write something than they did last night for homework; however, I also made them a deal…I would write an obituary too. While the obituary you read above is a bit more ‘fleshed out’ than the one I shared with the class, the basic cause of death was the same.

However, rest assured…

I’m not dead.

I’m not suicidal.

I’m not dating anyone.

However, many of you have undoubtedly noticed that I hadn’t been blogging very much as of late. In this regard, one would think that I’ve been dead to the blogging world…and maybe I have…

Just know, it isn’t you…it’s me.

Really.

It isn’t that I haven’t had anything to say…it’s just that…well, I haven’t felt a desire to write anything lately. Therefore, I didn’t. It’s hard to explain, really.

I am sorry if I worried any of you. I just didn’t want to write something just for the sake of writing something, you know? If I were going to blog, I wanted it to be of substance and not just another piece of fluff to encumber the Internet.

Ah, the worlds of fluff…

To those who missed me, I thank you. You made my day. Just know…I missed you too.

This, that, and the other

Pin It It’s been an eventful week.

Sorry I have been away for a few days.

To be honest, I missed you all. I missed writing. After all, it seems that I don’t write anymore unless it is for work or for blogging.

While I won’t try to sugar-coat anything, I do know that many of you are curious as to what happened this weekend up at Sundance. While my sister tended to focus on the positive end of the experience, I instead decided to attend a pity party where all of the presents were for me.

I shut off my phone for two days.

I didn’t head to the blogging world to read up on anyone

If I’m being honest, a part of this was because of just being tired. Another part was because I had a lot to say, but didn’t feel like writing any of it down. The final part is that I just wanted a break for a few days.

Oh, and the amount of sales this weekend didn’t even cover the cost of the fee to have ‘spot’ up at Sundance.



There, with all of that said and done, let us instead move on to much more interesting things…such as the website.

So, will it REALLY be ready on Saturday like I promised?

To be honest, I don’t know. I look at it and there are a lot of empty spaces still. I am a bit nervous about that. I need to get a few more items uploaded (and written) so that will undoubtedly be tomorrow’s endeavor as I don’t feel much like working on it today.

Tonight I instead am listening to Nickel Creek and baking cookies.


Yeah, I’m so domestic, aren’t I?

Actually, the cookies are not for me. They are for a class who is bound and determined to have 100% of them turn in completed assignments. After trying for over a month, they finally did it for the first time today. You could feel the excitement in the room…mostly because they all broke into cheers and there was a lot of high-fives being passed around—as well as praise being slogged in every direction.

Ah, the subtle ways of a teacher to get his students to do their homework.

I just hope the ball continues to roll and does not lose the momentum it has now gained.

Time will undoubtedly tell as today slips into tomorrow.

I have nothing else to say as of the time being. However, I am still hopeful that the website will do something…

What?

Make tons of money of course…

I’d also like a rocket…

Perhaps a nice, big bag full of gold too…

Maybe a pony…

Room 26

Pin It I packed up my room.

No, not my bedroom…my classroom.

As the items which made this room their home for the past several years found their way into boxes and were stacked up in the back, I could see nearly a decade of my life being put away with it. I found myself confronted by similar feelings to which I imagine Kathleen Kelly, the character in You’ve Got Mail, must have felt when her bookstore was closing down.

“Soon [I’ll] just be a memory. In fact someone, some foolish person, will probably think it’s a tribute to this [school], the way it keeps changing on you, the way you can never count on it, or something. I know, because that's the sort of thing I’m always saying. But the truth is; I’m heartbroken. I feel as if part of me has died, and no one can ever make it right.”

I know that this decision was mine and mine alone, however, how can one merely leave a place they’ve loved, had so many experiences in, and that has fundamentally changed their life?

You can’t.

I remember a friend of mine once saying, “You never truly leave a place you love. Part of it you take with you, leaving a part of yourself behind.”

It is at times like this that I question that statement. In time I will become nothing more than a faded memory…much like the faces of the past, those who’ve been a part of the school, but have faded into oblivion. Who knows these people now? Does anybody really care?

Such are the facedly-jaded moments of time which inevitably come to an end.

WE remember, but life does go on.

Today was hard and yet easy at the same time. We had graduation, photos were taken with students, and I found myself trying to prolong the inevitable…the closing down of the bookstore. As long as I was conversing with parents, having a photo taken with a student, or one of about a million other things, I was prolonging my time at the school which I’ve worked at for eight years.

However, like it inescapably does, the time came and then it passed. My life has been fundamentally changed and there is no going back. The items were moved, lights were turned off, farewells were spoken, and finally…the name plaque came down.

Room 26.

As I made ready to leave the room I found myself facing some writing left on the chalkboard by my students. It was with this that I felt a new emotion. I was not going to miss a room, but the people who made that room what it was. Like my longtime friend, Val Dixon, it is not her home which I love, but the family which make those four walls come to life.

A room is but a room.

I know that new adventures are waiting in the wings for their cue to take the center stage, but there is also a portion of my soul which dreads the change which the future is so eager to present to me.

“…my store is closing this week. I own a store. Did I ever tell you that? Probably not. It’s a lovely store—and in a week, it will be something really depressing, like a Baby Gap. I am being amazingly brave — ”

Cat, or Dog?

Pin It I am a cat.

I say this not because I really am a cat, after all, I am actually allergic to them (plus the fact that I hate them too). I say this because I used to be a dog…in fact, some days I am a dog, while other times, I find myself being a cat.

Let me explain…

A dog is an animal that just seems to love you, no matter what. He goes out of his way to be around you too. A simple scratch behind the ears completely makes his day. He comes when you call, and always wants to play. No matter how many times you throw the ball or want to run in the park, he is there. If it’s raining, and you are going out in the rain, the dog usually wants to go with you…he just doesn’t care what the weather is.

Not so for a cat. A cat is a solitary creature; it wants nothing more than to do what it wants, when it wants. If you call it, it does not come. In fact, the more you try to get it to do what you want, the more it tries to stay away. If you give it an order to stay, or to go, it usually does not. When it rains, the cat stays inside, and just lazes around, staying where it is warm and cozy. Maybe if the weather is nice, the cat would oblige to go outside…maybe.

It seems that all of us, at different times or other in our lives have been either a cat or a dog.

Today, I am a cat.