Mr. Pigden set the example

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I came across a video of James Fishback, a gubernatorial candidate in Florida, talking about how if elected governor, he will absolutely not tolerate any public school teacher imposing “white guilt” on Florida’s students, saying they “will not be public school teachers” on his watch.

Bravo, I love this, and this is absolutely the answer. (I really hope he wins.)

Fishback’s comments got me thinking though about the whole idea of white guilt, which obviously, is ludicrous; like I wrote the other day, I’m not apologizing for America, or white people. We don’t owe a sorry, and there is zero reason to possess any sense of guilt as whites for being more functional and productive than other races as a whole, but we can recognize that there are many disadvantaged students, many of whom are non-white, and all of whom deserve great empathy and love.

And, this is where Mr. Pigden comes in; it was he who set the example of how white teachers should approach their black students, turning disadvantaged children into advantaged, and incredibly thankful, adults.

I was reminded of Mr. Pigden last night, when I stumbled across a video clip I’d seen countless times before, which always makes me ugly-cry, the emotion of the scene so heavy I can actually feel my heart cracking open. It features Arsenal footballer (now retired) Ian Wright, a black Englishman, unexpectedly coming face-to-face with his white, primary school teacher Mr. Pigden in 2005, whom he he believed had passed away, and who had utterly changed his life for the better. You see the shock on Ian’s face and he quickly pulls his hat off, instantly becoming again that little boy with tremendous respect and reverence for the teacher he loved so much, before he breaks down into tears and hugs the aged Mr. Pigden.

A four-minute video with contextual footage, as well as the original 2005 clip, can be found below, and I highly, highly encourage you to watch it.

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Ian Wright grew up in a violent home, without a healthy strong father, and it was Mr. Pigden, a former WWII ace pilot, who stepped in to become that positive male influence all children desperately need. Mr. Pigden didn’t know the specifics of Ian’s home life, but he invested in the young boy, helped him with his academics, trusted him with responsibility, loved him like a son, and told him he believed in him. He gave him “direction” and “purpose.” In Ian’s words, Mr. Pigden “made me feel important.”

During that beautiful reunion in 2005, Mr. Pigden told a grown Ian how “glad” he was that Ian had “done so well for himself.” Ian also revealed that Mr. Pigden said he got more joy seeing Ian thrive than he did with all the fanfare he received as a military hero when he famously participated in a Buckingham Palace flyover.

Ian grew up into one of England’s most successful and celebrated footballers—known as one of the “greatest” in the sport’s history—and a very functional adult, now using his position and blessings to reach other children. That is Mr. Pigden’s legacy in action, and it is what all teachers should strive for. If we want to lift disadvantaged children from the pain and burden of their circumstances, the only answer is to be like Mr. Pigden.

Mr. Pigden died in 2017; in 2021, Ian said he still thinks about Mr. Pigden “every day.” God bless his memory.

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