Teachers

On the last day of the school year, Fletcher Elementary School distributed report cards for each student to take home, which included the name of the teacher we’d have in the next grade. I had Mrs. Frank for kindergarten, Mrs. Ditmer for first grade, and Mrs. Grestel for second grade, all veteran teachers. I liked my teachers, but when it was time for third grade, I finally hit the jackpot: Miss Kramer’s class. Pat Kramer was young and beautiful, and my eight-year-old self was thrilled. I’m not sure ageism was even a thing back in the day, but for a certain little girl, having the most beautiful teacher in the school was a dream come true.

 

Not only was Miss Kramer young and beautiful, but she was also an excellent teacher, combining just the right balance of academics, curiosity and fun. It wasn’t an easy year, as she had the unenviable task of shepherding her third graders through the assassination of the president, JFK, which she did with compassion and care. All while she was preparing for her wedding. Like 2020-21, it was a school year to remember.

 

If Miss Kramer was beautiful, Mrs. Frank had the gentle ability to herd cats, helping twenty-plus five-year-olds adjust to school for the first time. Mrs. Ditmer used her years of experience to instill a disciplined approach to writing for the little hands of her first-graders, while Mrs. Grestel nurtured a love of reading in a pig-tailed seven-year-old that still brings me pleasure each day. 

 

In a 2008 study, Bruce Johnson determined that the little things teachers do every day impact the resilience of the children in their classrooms. While they are seemingly ordinary attributes and actions, being available and showing genuine interest, actively listening, modeling positivity, and bringing humor to their students really make a difference. Yes, the phonics approach, the linguistic method, a neurological impress technique or a language experience model matter in teaching kids to read, but the ordinary matters just as much. 

 

Our second granddaughter, the delightful and determined Elizabeth Holiday, has clearly been a beneficiary of this kind of attention in her kindergarten class. While I’ve never met Mrs. Snee, I hear about her every day when I talk with Lizzie. She loves her kindergarten teacher, and because of that connection, Lizzie has discovered a great joy in learning, and I’m convinced she’ll thrive in her transition to first grade. 

 

My friend Lisa has taught little ones for many years, and often shares humorous moments from her class. This week, a child told her, “My brother gave me a bloody nose this morning and now I’m feeling unconscious!” One of her kindergarten students sent her a message recently. “I like Adem,” said the five-year-old. “Can you tell him?” Just add matchmaker to that long list of teacher-skills. 

 

As this COVID-tinged school year draws to a close, the kids have been counting down the days to the end, and so have teachers. Lisa explains the logistical nightmare: “I only have twelve ‘in person,’ but they are so far apart it’s hard to keep them focused especially when you need to focus on the nine on the screen. It’s hard.” My daughter-in-law agrees. Becky, who teaches special ed students, told me that 2020-21 has been her most difficult year of teaching.

 

And yet, day after day, teachers are available to their kids, through e-mails, text messages, videos, and in-person contact. Mrs. Snee has listened with genuine interest to every story the imaginative Lizzie has told her. Mrs. Shade has modeled a positive outlook to her kids, her “you can do it” attitude pushing them to achieve far beyond their IEP goals. And Mrs. Schoch is an expert at finding and sharing humor, both in her classroom and in the social media world, bringing a chuckle to my heart with her matchmaking skills and LOL moments.

 

Thank you, teachers, for loving on our kids during these difficult days. Someday, they’ll tell their grandchildren about the year of the Corona and the teachers who made a difference. They’ll remember your name with gratitude because you were there for them, listening, affirming, laughing and believing in them. It’s been a year of goodness.