Teacher Appreciation

I've always intended to write a letter of appreciation and publish it in the local newspaper to each and every teacher my children have had.  I also intended  to learn to levitate and spin dog hair into gold.    I'll practice while you get a cup of coffee - this post is long.   LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

Recently a friend of mine that blogs about dealing with the challenges of grief and unexpected change wrote  about the school "merger" that is taking place in our community.  She noted that one rarely reads about the good in the schools anymore and that spurred me on to do what I had been wanting to do for the last few years. To publicly thank those directly and indirectly responsible for the education of two kids.  My children are both graduating this year, one from a graduate program in Journalism/Mixed media from UT Knoxville and the other from dental school at UTCHS with plans to continue into their pediatric program next fall.

These are but a few people who played an important role in their lives.  And mine too.

Bonnie Zwirlein kept both my children , one from the age of 6 months and the other 6 weeks while I worked full-time.   She was/is a brilliant sitter on many levels but from a harried new mom perspective she always let me believe I was the first to notice any changes in my babies, first tooth, first step, first words.  And for that I will be always grateful ( and hope to have learned this lesson for my future grandchildren. whenever.  I'm patient ) Bonnie was instrumental in the importance of nap time after lunch (no exceptions)no TV or videos before lunch/nap time. Playing outside daily, being nice to each other.  She was fair and just and taught me the value of following through with promises.  She also sold me on never cooking on a Friday. Both my children loved Bonnie and were so comfortable they sometimes called her mommy and wanted to stay the weekend.  I was smart enough to know this was a compliment not a slight.  I keep Bonnie's number on speed dial , you know, just in case.. 

Both my children experienced pre-school at Collierville United Methodist Church.  We waited until they were 4 as the only skill we thought they would really need is THIS IS A CHAIR - SIT IN IT - STAY.  So , kind of like doggie obedience school.  Actually a lot like doggie obedience school.  Again, Ms. Pat Larkin ( looked exactly like Snow White) and Ms. Stephanie and Ms.Annette (Heimbach) were a blessing. Our children were loved.   This school was also the catalyst for us joining the church.  Hey, they had our kids, what did you expect. 

Then came public school. You hear everything bad. You stress. You worry.  Then you let go.   On the way to our son's orientation for kindergarten at Collierville Elementary School  he announces from the back seat "I hope I don't get a brown teacher."  We were speechless.  We started mental exercises through each and every conversation we'd had in front of him since birth and could not for the life of us determine where this came from.  Still have no clue.  Inside I kept thinking, oh please , oh please, if she's a brown teacher don't let him say anything.  And of course as we rounded the corner in the school building toward the table with his teacher's name on it, there sat a brown teacher.  I almost died.  Andrew sat down and Monecia Johnson reached across the table and took both his hands in hers and said, "Andrew, I am so glad you are in my class this year, we are going to have the best time". And he was a goner.  The entire year every picture that he colored all the people were brown.  I had a great tan!  His sister also had Monecia when she entered kindergarten.  Monecia contacted us shortly after Katie had started school concerned she was perhaps too young and should wait a year.  This was based on Katie's fearfulness when asked to do things by herself.  Bill ( my husband) asked Monecia, does she look at you and tilt her head and make her eyes real big? and Monecia said yes.  Bill said this is the same child that begs to visit neighbors without any assistance or adult supervision, Monecia- you are being played.  After that Katie never seemed to have a problem if Mrs. Monecia Johnson asked her to do something.    Thank you Monecia, for having a rocking chair in your room to soothe those that need soothing.  For being a kind but firm voice.  For being a kindergarten teacher who clearly loved all her little people. And as ridiculous as this sounds for being "brown".

First grade Andrew was blessed to have Mrs. McClinton.  I'm not sure she felt the same way.  She was astonished that little boys played  with imaginary bats and balls and run and are basically dirty little creatures that never sit still.  Plus she had to get use to Bill giving hugs. Eventually she'd see us coming down the hall and she'd say, "Oh, Lord, here comes that man that hugs". Then she'd smile.  I think we should hug our teachers more.    It was a tough year as that was the year my mother was dying of cancer.  I was gone a lot traveling to Kansas City to visit for weeks at a time.  We didn't realize how deeply that affected Andrew until he entered second grade.  Wanda Kerschbaum told us he was a year behind in reading skills.  With her support and encouragement Bill bought the Hooked On Phonics learning set and Andrew went from a D to an A in the next six weeks.  Andrew was lucky to have a teacher that cared about him enough to tell his parents there was a problem.  Thanks Joyce for giving him consistency in a year of constant chaos and thank you Wanda for seeing the problem and offering a solution.  He's been a  voracious reader ever since. 

Katie had Phyllis Agnew in first grade. Phyllis just retired this year.  Another teacher that thought outside the lines.  This was the year they introduced "whole " language.  See a duck , say duck.  Whatever.  Phyllis taught both, whole and phonetics.  THANK YOU PHYLLIS!!!   Children need tools.  Some teachers KNOW how to use a toolbox. 

Both of our children had Donna Clayton for 3rd grade.  Donna instilled a love for healthy competition in her class and a love for math and science.  She always wore tennis shoes , even in a dress - AND found any excuse for extra time outside to run, jump and learn all the while giving them the right amount of win-win spirit and challenging them to do their best always. 

Liz Wilson was Andrew's 4th grade teacher.   Liz had her hands full.  A bright but challenging class.  Fortunately Liz was on to them and never let it get away from her.  4th grade---- I feel like this alone was a good argument for separating them by sex.  Half the problems came from some of the parents.  Mostly idiot mothers living vicariously through their daughters.  This was just the beginning.

5th grade was the year of group project teachers.  I hated group projects but more than that I hated parents that did their kids group projects.  Shame on you for stealing your child's chance to learn and feel good about doing it themselves.  I think one of the most valuable lessons both my kids learned was to be prepared when the other "participants" came empty handed.  Trust me they'll need the skills even in college where this lesson paid off the most.  They learned to pick people they could rely on AND still make sure they knew all aspects if possible. They also learned that sometimes you get graded unfairly based on group participation, also you can get punished that way as well.  This gave them insight into choosing their friends wisely.

I loved the elementary school years.  I served on a PTA board with women that I am still blessed to call some of  my very closest friends.  Our husbands also worked with us and became friends.  These were the golden years.  I miss them.  To Vicky Stewart, Becky Dennis, Natalie Vaughan, Julie Riley & Denise Shaffer - I'd do it again in a second. And the staff was one of a kind - Ronnie Jamerson, Cindy Pennington, Nita Armour and of course Sissy Loftin.

                    (INTERMISSION - "LET'S ALL GO TO THE LOBBY.......)

Middle school.  That year was the year of the Columbine shooting.  We (I) struggled with private vs public vs home-schooled ( and the last one I must have been heavily drinking as both kids passed me academically by 3rd grade).  No matter how we looked at it there really was no better choice then Collierville Middle School.  So they bloomed where they were planted.   Bill and I asked for a conference with all the teachers during Andrew's 8th grade year.( As we did every year)   All the teachers filed into the room - plus a couple of school reps.  They asked us why we called the conference.  We explained that even though Andrew was doing well we always liked to talk to all the teachers to see if there was any needs or anything we needed to be helping with.  Plus there is never any time to talk to anyone during Open Houses, etc.  They were stunned, and then visibly relaxed.  They thought we were lodging some kind of legal complaint.  Bill and I laughed.   AND then we learned that even though Andrew was an excellent student there were still some areas he could use help in.              Frankly I think every parent should be required to meet with every teacher no matter WHAT the current situation is.   It helped to meet in a group, one teacher would ask the other if they thought the same thing.  Oh, and btw - Andrew was with us.  When Mrs. Claudia Guthrie told him he was a slacker in the English department and to reconsider enrolling him in Honors English as a Freshman because even though he was MORE than capable he wouldn't do the work ----- I think we all nodded in agreement , including Andrew.    (side note - after his freshman year in standard English he was so bored he begged for honors the next year.) 

Thank you to all the middle school teachers, Mrs. Kent, Mr. Gray, Mr. Plummer, Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Hammond, Mrs. Talley, Mrs. Guthrie, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Talarico, Mr. Clinton and others I'm sure I've left out.

In high school Andrew did very well- except for his year in Chemistry.  He wasn't particularly fond of his instructor.  Bill was patient to a point and then told him to figure out a way to learn it on his own  because in real life you don't get to pick your boss.  Again, we knew he was capable. Then a miracle of sorts occurred, Andrew broke a rule at home ( which I can't remember at this point) and was practically grounded for life.  His grades went up.  The teacher pointed that out. Things work out.

Thank you to the high school teachers like Mrs. Martin who was one of the toughest teachers and the one both of my children liked a lot. And coaches like Roy Kirkland who manages the daily chaos with a firm hand and larger than life voice and an unmistakable presence.   But not to the woman that stood at the entrance and gave detention to kids whose shirts came untucked as they got out of the cars.    You were a much bigger problem than the shirts ever were.

Both kids went to college prepared in advance by the teachers that pushed them to do their best and to think for themselves.  Thank you to all the teachers at Collierville Elementary, Collierville Middle and Collierville High.

But of all the people that influenced my children the most it was and still is their father.  Bill attended every meeting. Let every teacher know that we fully supported them and then told our children the same thing.  He demanded 100 percent effort and the only mistakes that made him crazy are the ones they didn't  learn from.  He's never once humiliated them or made fun of them.  He's never tried to beat them or compete with them.  He has always ALWAYS been there for them.  He's always believed in them. He has never lied to them.  Ever. Once they went off to college  the phone calls to each of us became distinctly different - mine are emotional, relational, what are your thoughts about.......  The calls to him are solutions to problems, advice about classes, thoughts on career paths.  He has spent time with each of them just because.  Making unnecessary trips to "drop by" Knoxville on his way home from an Atlanta trip. They know without a doubt that they can depend on their father.

Today I watched our son graduate from dental school.  It was one of those defining moments.  Partly because I was watching my oldest achieve a long time goal but also because I got to see the man I married have the honor of "hooding" Andrew during the ceremony as they share the same degree.   With his sister in the stands who made the trip home from Knoxville to see him graduate.  And his sweet fiance Olivia who has waited patiently through all the college years and his wonderful  in-laws to be Brett and Marylynn who love him like he's one of theirs.      Our children have had the support of many teachers in their lives. And to ALL of them I say thank you.