Day 17 : Not Forgetting Teachers : Part 2

This is part 2 in a 5 part series about teachers. In this and subsequent posts, I am going to be writing about memorable teachers I've had in the past. I want to challenge you to take some time to remember how teachers have influenced your life and take a few moments to thank them. Teaching is a thank-less job and teachers know this, but that doesn't mean that they should never be thanked. Believe me, a thank you letter or Facebook message sent to your 4th grade teacher or history professor will make them feel like they got a million dollar bonus. Ok, a million dollar bonus would be awesome, but to know that their life's work has made a positive impact on their students is priceless.

One important job of a teacher is not forgetting what it was like to be a student. To not forget how it felt to be a tiny child walking into a big school all by yourself. To not forget the anxiety of going through the lunch line or riding the bus for the first time. To not forget things that made you feel excluded, less than, forgotten, dumb. It's as equally important to not forget the things that made you excited about learning, successful, smart. To not forget the way a teacher smiled or spoke to you that let you know you mattered. Then you take all of these memories and make yourself into the teacher that you'd have wanted your child-self to have.

Because I was an elementary school teacher, I have spent a LOT of time thinking about my elementary school days. Intentionally remembering, through pictures, stories, and faded school work, I have been able to vividly recall the minutiae of the first years of my formal education.

I remember sitting under a table in first grade, my back against a concrete block wall, friends on each side, whilst watching The Little Mermaid. The movie had just come out on VHS and I was obsessed. I unflinchingly told my friends that I was the voice of Ariel - that the movie makers put this thing down into my throat to make me sound like that.

I remember in second grade feeling sad and not-so-smart when my best friend was in a different reading group. Somehow I knew that she was one of the smartest readers and I was just a regular.

I remember in third grade when my teacher gently told me that I had horrible handwriting {apparently, it didn't matter if I used the pastel purple pencil that my friend with awesome handwriting used}. She explained that it is often difficult for left-handed people to print neatly. I am right-handed. Womp womp womp.

I remember in fourth grade looking forward to lunch time because my mom made the best sandwiches. My favorite that year was ham, cheese, Duke's mayo, mustard, and lettuce. I felt very grown up for liking lettuce.

My favorite years in elementary school were kindergarten and fifth grade -  bookend years. I have lots of good and some not-so-good memories from these years. But the reason these years were my favorite were because of the teachers I had.

Mr. Hogsed - tall, dashing, and always smelled so good. He wore loafers and a tie. His kind voice read us stories of Corduroy and The Little Red Hen. He taught me to type on an electric typewriter - C-A-T-SPACE-C-A-T-SPACE. Mr. Hogsed had a large collection of Teddy Bears in our room. They were so magical, so alluring - one day I touched a bear during carpet time {this was not allowed}. I just couldn't help it. I'll never forget him saying kindly, but firmly, "Jasmyn, we do not touch the bears during carpet time." Always a good girl, I felt like I was going to melt into the carpet. But he and our teacher assistant, Mrs. Gilbert, made us feel safe and loved. I never cried or wanted to go home {except when I had Chicken Pox} - not even on the first day of school. That's what I remembered when I stepped into teaching my first kindergarten class - be the teacher that makes students want to be at school. Thank you, Mr. Hogsed for setting the tone of my entire elementary school experience. Because of you, I never felt scared or alone at school. I knew that I was in the great care of my teachers. Because of you, my students have, hopefully, felt that same love and security that you provided me all those years ago.

Mrs. Kreigsman - young, pretty, funny, and so fun! I picked Mrs. Kreigsman as my fifth grade teacher when I was just a kindergartener. She says she picked me, too. I remember one day, while still in kindergarten, she came and got me out of my class because one of her students was having a birthday and she brought a Barbie cake to share. Mrs. Kreigsman wanted me to have a piece. A five-year-old never forgets that. Fifth grade was an exciting year because it was the first year that they had computers in the classroom. I loved to "paint" on the computer, but hated keyboarding. One can only type "salad" so many times before it loses its luster. I remember that she was the one who broke the news that Santa wasn't real {seriously shocked, but I pretended that it was old news}. I remember sitting in a circle on the carpet in her room, social studies books in our laps, and I would sit beside her and scratch her back. It was a highly coveted job amongst the girls in our class. {I've definitely pulled that one a time or two...now who thinks they are the best back-scratcher in the class??} She let me check spelling tests, clean transparencies, and run errands. I was certainly not the most perfect student {that's an understatement and a story I may share some other day}, but she loved me anyway. Mrs. Kreigsman saw potential in me, even when it wasn't obvious to me or others. She made me feel special and worth noticing. I think she probably did this for all of her students, but she did it in such a way that made you feel like you were the only one. She taught my husband, my brother, my sisters, and my cousins. She came to our wedding. She has kissed our babies. Thank you, Mrs. Kreigsman {whom I still cannot call by her first name}, for teaching me to work to my full potential, that slacking off is not an option when you are capable of so much more. Thank you for forgiving a short-sighted ten-year-old when she was terrified to admit failure. You have compelled me to look for students' potential and push them toward that, and to be understanding when they just aren't there yet. Thank you for being a life-long friend and encourager. You have made a very deep, very permanent, very positive impression on my life. Thank you.

Both of these teachers are still teaching today.

Take some time today to remember your elementary school days and the teachers who left their mark on your life. Find them, call them, write them - tell them thank you today.

What are some things that you remember about elementary school? I'd love to know!



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This is the seventeenth post in the series 31 Days of Not Forgetting.
If you'd like to read previous posts in the series, click here and scroll to the bottom. 

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