Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Elementary, my dear teachers...

Its the first day of school for the Louisville area...

where I live, school has been in for 2 weeks... those Louisville kids are dumber... KIDDING!

but Facebook is fired up with 'first day of school' pictures today...

remember how exciting that day was?

I always loved it because I was the nerd that liked school.  Really... I enjoyed it.  I liked learning, reading, seeing friends... & it also always meant a few more new clothes & shoes.

I'm also the nerd that loved to go school supply shopping. 

I still get giddy when I see Target has the new school supplies out... & now?  They'll be on clearance.  My office supply nerdy heart will be there... with a big basket...

Pens.. notebooks...binders... & yes, I still buy Disney Princess folders for myself.
...no comments please....

But I was thinking this morning about all the teachers I had through the years...

its weird, because middle school to high school - you get bombarded with teachers.  6-7 teachers every year...& while I had some of my favorites that stick out, in that span of middle school to high school, I honestly only remember a handfull...

It was my elementary school teachers that really impacted me....
maybe because it was when you're so young & afraid of doing things yourself...
maybe because they spend all day with you & not just an hour out of each day...
maybe because that's where a foundation is being laid...

But they were awesome

1st grade... Miss Clayton - the ideal first grade teacher ever.  She was fun, bubbly, caring, nuturing... & she always put a smiley face at the end of her name.  (How do I still remember that?)... she was the only single teacher I ever had too.  The only "Miss"

2nd grade... Mrs. Johnson - very strict, but not harsh in the way she implemented strictness... I think her structure is what got me to love the concept of learning...

3rd grade... Mrs. Swartz - isnt that a great name?  I can remember she had twin daughters.  She had a great laugh... one of those that her face would turn red when she would laugh really hard.  I can remember her spelling tests every week in this grade.

4th grade... Mrs. Voltz - she was the 'one you didnt want' when you were a kid.  Why?  Because she seemed to harsh & mean.  She looked like a stern woman.  Tall, an over powering presence... had SHORT hair like a man.  This was in the 70's & not something you saw a lot.  It was more "comb backs" & perms at the time... but she was great.  She let me help in the room a lot - gave me some responsibilities as a room monitor.... this was the year we learned cursive writing... oohhhh....

5th grade... Mrs. Miller... The teacher that beats all teachers... She was incredible.  She was all the ideas of a great teacher in one.  Strict, but funny.  Watching every move you made, but gave some leeway.  Could take something complicated & make it easy to understand.  When the end of the year came, you can ask my mom - we still laugh about this - I CRIED for DAYS about leaving her.  She was that fantastic as a teacher.  All my friends in our class cried too... we didnt want to ever have another class where she didnt teach.  .....I later learned she left teaching & became a Minister.  Not that long ago, I saw an article about her ministry & the church that she has led over the years & the work she's done.  Nothing less then what I would think she would do...

Teachers... they make an impact... from the beginning...to the end...

Do you have a favorite teacher you had in your lifetime?  What grade was it & what made them so special?

Look.. an interactive blog post today.. I cant wait to hear your answers...

8 comments:

  1. Oooh, interactive.

    I liked Mrs. Regas, my second grade teacher best.

    As tough as I am in my role of fourth grade teacher, some kids do wind up really liking me. I think I allow them to feel safe and taken care of but also independent. That's only a guess.

    First day for my kiddos too! (students)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I went to a small country elementary school. Our first grade teacher Mrs. Kenyon, was brand spanking new, and every boy had a crush on her! In my " minds eye" I liken her to Marlo Thomas in That Girl! We also had a few teachers who were OLD! Which means they were probably around 60 ;). I always dreaded the thought of going into their class, but once there found they were awesome... Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Elmore! And me... I LOVED getting to help put up the bulletin boards every few weeks. I would beg to stay in and help put them up!!! Ahhh... elementary memories.... some of the best!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I went to a small country elementary school. Our first grade teacher Mrs. Kenyon, was brand spanking new, and every boy had a crush on her! In my " minds eye" I liken her to Marlo Thomas in That Girl! We also had a few teachers who were OLD! Which means they were probably around 60 ;). I always dreaded the thought of going into their class, but once there found they were awesome... Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Elmore! And me... I LOVED getting to help put up the bulletin boards every few weeks. I would beg to stay in and help put them up!!! Ahhh... elementary memories.... some of the best!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved my high school lit teacher in 12th grade. She rocked :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mine was Mr. Silvers. Fun but serious. Always seemed like he was laughing on the inside. But the part that put him in my heart forever. He brought flowers especially for a little 14 year old girl who had just lost her brother in a farm accident. That deeply impacted me. So much so, that I had that type of flower in my wedding bouquet. Tears me up just thinking about it......

    ReplyDelete
  6. What an incredibly sweet post!! You brought a huge smile to my face with your recollections.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I loved school, especially the first day of school. I liked seeing friends again, and I especially liked the new clothes/shoes/school supplies. And I'm still a bit of a school supply geek ... only while I was working, I justified it by calling myself an office supply geek. I still want to buy, buy, buy when I go to the office supply store (as a result, I don't go too often - ha!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mine was my third grade teacher Mrs. Duggan!!!!! I will never ever ever forget her. It was during third grade when my Mom's husband at the time passed away in a boating accident (my sister's dad). She sent me a letter in the mail and said I could call her anytime just to talk... and she will never know how much that truly meant to me! And I did end up calling her :)

    ReplyDelete

I am thankful for each comment & like to respond to every one of them....
If you noticed I do not respond to your comments, it is because you are a "no reply" blogger and I am unable too!
How to enable your e-mail: BLOGGER ACCOUNTS: To do this, click on your Dashboard, click on EDIT PROFILE and place a check mark next to SHOW MY EMAIL ADDRESS, and finally scroll to the bottom and click SAVE PROFILE.**

Social Media World

Come Follow Me