Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. I saw lots of posts of happy teachers winning prizes, holding bouquets, and munching donuts. I always loved this week when I was in the classroom. It was like it was your birthday for five whole days. Teachers this year certainly deserved every treat they received- and then some. They have worked in unbelievable conditions for the past two years. I hope that we all remember the resilience and determination of teachers during this pandemic. Their fierce will to educate students despite every hurdle they had to jump through was absolutely inspiring. In my years of being a student, being a teacher, and being a parent, I have had the pleasure of working with some extraordinary teachers. I obviously cannot write about them all today because no one wants to read that much from me in one sitting. I can tell you about a few of my favorites, though.
My favorite teacher when I was in school was my second grade teacher. I thought she was the prettiest person I had ever seen. I would love to go to school to see what outfit she had on and how she had styled her hair. She had a calm, sweet voice and she talked to us like we were her own kids. She told us stories about her family and she listened to our stories. She was so nice to all of the children. I don’t remember ever hearing her raise her voice. I do remember her encouraging each student and taking an interest in learning something special about all of us. The school we were in was very old, and schools were not air conditioned back then. One side of our classroom was all windows. They were very tall and they opened wide, with no screens. That seems like such a safety concern now, but we were just glad for the breeze back then. The teacher had a couple of big box fans that she put in the windows to help cool it down. When we came in from lunch recess, it was story time. My teacher would sit on a high stool in front of the rows of desks in the hot, sticky classroom and read aloud to us from chapter books as we tried to cool off. Our legs would literally stick to our chairs with sweat as we sat there listening. That was my very favorite time of the day, sweat and all. I loved listening to her read with her sweet voice. I would just get lost in those books. It’s probably not a coincidence that I grew up to be a reading teacher.
My children have had many great teachers, and I am sincerely thankful for them all. I am very capable of teaching rooms full of other people’s children. My own- not so much. When my children were young they were pretty convinced that I knew very little about any kind of learning. It is good that they were both smart because if we had had to do a lot of studying at home together, we would not have had a peaceful home. When my children were young, they switched schools. My daughter was in first grade at the time. Her first grade teacher at the new school was a lifesaver both to Emily and to me. Emily was a little behind because her kindergarten had not covered what had been covered in the kindergarten at the new school. I was very nervous for her. I should not have been. This wonderful teacher took my Emily under her wing and made a reader and writer out of her in a matter of months. Not only that, but she looked out for her as if she were her own. When Mark sent her to school with no coat because it was a balmy 43 degrees out and she had on a sweater, the teacher let Emily wear her coat. When I was out of town and Mark sent Emily to school with “dad hair,” the teacher fixed it for her and put in a bow. When I was my usual self, and emailed all the time asking for pictures of Emily and updates on Emily because I just missed her, the teacher sent me pictures and updates. When I just happened to be in the building, and just stopped by, and maybe just sat down at Emily’s seat and waited for her to come in from special class, the teacher just smiled. I was a royal pain. But that teacher was so sweet to me and to Emily that whole year. She got her above grade level and very much in love with school. I am eternally grateful. She is one of the best teachers with whom I have ever worked.
Emily’s third grade teacher was the teacher who has inspired her to become a teacher herself. You might have thought she wanted to become a teacher because of me. That would have been nice, but that is not the way it happened. She absolutely loved her third grade teacher and still does to this day. I am not sure what went on in that classroom that was so magical, but Emily assures me that it was the best school year she ever had. It was so good that she now wants to teach third grade. ( I taught third grade. That does not seem to have any effect on Emily whatsoever. It’s as if I told her my shirt was blue. She could care less.) This teacher did form a special bond with Emily. She fostered Emily’s love of teaching and gave her a certain amount of independence that I know she loved. Emily went to school happily every day that year. For that, I am very thankful indeed. I hope this teacher and Emily get to teach together some day. It would be a dream come true for Emily.
Matthew and Emily both had the same 7th grade homeroom teacher. They both really liked her. I really liked her because she was a middle school teacher who acted more like an elementary school teacher. She gave the students responsibility and work like a middle school teacher, but she cared for them like an elementary teacher. In the winter of his 7th grade year, Matthew had three of his top front teeth die from an old bike injury. He woke up one morning and the lower half of his face was swollen and hard as a rock. He ended up having to have three root canals. It was a few weeks of antibiotics and lots of pain. I kept him home some days, but there were days when he tried to go to school. His teacher would email me and tell me that she just felt so bad for him and he looked like he felt bad and she thought I should come and get him, mom to mom. I appreciated that so much! She stayed in touch with me throughout the days he did go to school to let me know how it was going. One day, she made pancakes for the class because they had won some sort of party. Matthew was out that day. She put his in the fridge for him and warmed them up when he came back to school. She always treated my kids like she would have treated her own. I just loved that about her.
Both of my kids also had the same Spanish teacher. Matthew felt that she was exceedingly strict. He wasn’t so sure how he felt about that at first. Then he started to come home and actually talk about Spanish class and what they had done and what he had learned. He had never, ever done that before. This teacher made him move outside of his comfort zone and try new things. Emily loved the strict class from day one. She loves structure. It was her favorite class of the day. I had known their teacher for a while, but I was surprised when I went to conferences. She knew so much about my kids! She made a genuine effort to get to know them- to know what they liked and what they were interested in. I don’t know that they have ever had a teacher who made such an effort. This teacher still corresponds with Emily and her little online bakery and orders treats. She saw her students as people, not just another group of kids. The students really felt that from her.
I worked, and do work, with many fabulous teachers. One of the ones who made the biggest impact on me was there when I interviewed for the job I held in a school district for twenty-three years and she hired me for the job I have now. I will forever and always hear her saying, “Is it what’s best for kids?” That is the question she always asked. She would let all of us rant and moan and groan, but when it came down to doing anything about it, you always knew that she would do what was best for kids. When you’re really mad and you just want to stomp and scream and take a week off during MAP testing, you need someone calm and rational to remind you that leaving your class is not what’s best for kids. But I did appreciate that she always let me stomp and scream first. Sometimes that’s really all you need. You need to vent. Then you can go back to work. She knew that. She also knew that there was a time and a place where venting was appropriate. She taught me so much about being professional. She was always very professional, and very kind. It was the perfect combination.
Another one of my bosses also taught me a lot about professionalism. We also worked together in the school district and in my current consulting job. She taught me that sometimes you have to confront problems head-on. I have always tried really, really hard to avoid any type of conflict. I prefer to be a peacemaker and just smile and bear it most of the time. This teacher taught me that sometimes you have to put on your high heels and hose and kick some butt, especially if the education of children is at stake. I saw her calmly and fairly call people on practices that were not in the best interests of children. She did it in a way that did not seem judgemental, but rather a matter of problem solving. This was the problem, now let’s work together to solve it. I was shocked by how easy she made it seem. She worked fiercely to protect and promote her teachers and her schools. When she retired, she left her most treasured school in my care. It was such an honor. I will do whatever it takes to keep that school as well-cared for as she would expect.
When I left my school district, I left behind my partner-in-crime. I had worked side-by-side with my teacher bestie for thirteen years in a position that we started in the district. To say that we had been through some stuff together would be a huge understatement. We basically created our jobs as we went. I am quite certain I would have never made it through the first year without her. I absolutely would not have made it through thirteen. She was (and still is) one of the smartest people I know. She made me better by just being with her. She would never give less than 100% to anything we did for the students in our district. Sometimes it was an uphill battle, but we had each other. The fact that she was (and still is) absolutely hilarious didn’t hurt, either. There was never a day when we didn’t laugh. And laugh. And laugh. I could tell you that I miss her (and the other sweet friends from my old office), but that would not describe the feeling. It’s more like there’s a little part of me that is still back there with her. I can’t be quite whole on my own.
I could go on and keep talking about more and more teachers, but that’s a wrap for this time. I’ll save some for another day. I have so many more. If you have a teacher who has impacted your life, I encourage you to tell him/her. I will now and again receive a letter from a former student and it is the biggest reward I could ever receive. Teachers really don’t teach for the donuts or the bouquets, we do it to make a difference. If a teacher made a difference for you, let him/her know!
