BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WTVF) — The line at Brentwood High went out the library and down the hall on Sunday. A whole lot of people wanted to celebrate Harriet Medlin. Truly, this was not just any teacher retirement. Medlin's been with Williamson County Schools for a while.
"How many years are we talking?" I asked her.
"57 years," she nodded.
Medlin started teaching at Franklin High in 1968. In 1982, she was part of the teaching staff when Brentwood High opened.
"I'm the last original Brentwood High School teacher remaining," Medlin said.
It was in that first year Medlin began coaching a team in what's now called the National Speech and Debate Association. She still does this.
"I could actually see those students learning and growing and achieving," Medlin said.
In 2002, Medlin met a student in her English class named Matt Grimes.
"My mother had her in 1972," Grimes said. "As soon as I came back and said I have this teacher for English, Harriet Medlin, she said, 'it can't be the same Harriet Medlin!'"
"He was in my 9th grade English class and would not talk," Medlin said of Grimes. "He sat in the very back of the room and would not talk."
Medlin knew Grimes loved movies. She started having him speak to the class with Matt's Movie Reviews. Then Grimes got Medlin to join her speech and debate team.
"You have to find a voice and you have to find a personality that works and suits you," Grimes said, remembering Medlin's lessons. "If you do that, you'll find an audience will respond."
"You have to hook your audience," Medlin added. "You have to get their attention before they'll pay attention to anything you're saying."
Those are lessons Medlin taught to many in Sunday's crowd. She helped their confidence.
"It's overwhelming," Medlin said. "It's absolutely overwhelming. It really solidifies for me I have not wasted 57 years. I have wanted to retire before I became that teacher that everybody said she should have retired 10 years ago!"
Though Medlin's retiring from Brentwood High, she's still going to coach the speech and debate team. She'll do that with fellow teacher and assistant coach, Grimes.
"Ready? Here we go," Grimes said, taking the floor in front of the crowd.
"Harriet Medlin gives a lot of what I'll call life hacks," he began. "As a teacher, you want to go to as many things as possible so your kids have buy-in to you. It's great if you show up to the football game at the end! They think you've been there the whole time, and you're their hero! Did you see that play? I sure did! You find out by Monday morning what that play is!"
The crowd laughed and applauded.
You know, it just seems fitting Medlin would get a grand send-off from a quiet 9th grader who she helped find that confidence.
"I just ask you to look around this room, look at every single one of you that's here," Grimes continued to the crowd. "You are the reason she does this."
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