Ron Acosta was the first teacher voted off 13 WHAM's "Dancing with Rochester's Teachers" contest in 2008. He got the lowest number of viewer votes, but his attitude made him a winner. I felt bad for the guy, he was a favorite during try-outs. He had a huge, childlike smile and a personality that filled the room like a balloon.
That wouldn't be the last time we saw him.
About four months later, Ron, who also worked part-time at a hotel in Henrietta, was stabbed during a robbery. Police said a man stabbed Ron in the arm after he demanded cash from the hotel register. We interviewed Ron about it and he said, "Bad things happen and we just have to continue on."
Fast forward three years and Ron would once again make the news.
In October, I got an email from a teacher at Monroe High. She said Ron was being awarded a plaque for excellence in teaching during a Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony at the school. Students and teachers voted Ron the best. Finally he won! What I read later, though, made my heart sink.
They say things happen in threes and certainly this latest set of challenges in Acosta's life would seem to be most insurmountable. I was wrong.
You won’t see Acosta dancing these days—he can’t. Complications from diabetes caused him to lose most of his right leg and all of the vision in his right eye. He walks using a prosthetic leg and wears glasses for his one good eye. You would think he’d be angry—mad as heck at the world. Wrong again.
Instead, Ron Acosta continues to teach math at Monroe High, he still works that same part-time job at the hotel, and he’s maintained his indestructible attitude.
We caught up with Ron while he tutored some students recently. I expected to see a weaker man but he seemed strong and confident around the students. They clearly adore him. One student called Ron his 'hero' and recalled Ron's patience with him when he first arrived in Rochester from Puerto Rico and knew very little English. Another wrote an essay about why Ron inspires him.
Ron told me that after his amputation he considered giving up teaching, but didn't want to end up on the couch feeling sorry for himself. He lit up when he talked about rehab after the surgery. He said he got used to the prosthetic in 24 hours, instead of the weeks doctors had anticipated. He admits his vision is a little more challenging. He has partial vision in his left eye and he knows he'll lose that one day, too. He has a plan for that-- he says he'll tutor students who can't come to class.
I'm telling Ron's story because he makes me smile. He effuses optimism in a world of pessimism and, these days, that's rare and much needed. He's unselfconscious, he jokes about himself, and he's genuine. He won't win a dance competition, but he'll never be in last place in this race called Life.
Norma Holland, Anchor/Reporter
