Education's Where It's At ....

My favorite teacher at Blackhurst Elementary School was my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Hettich.  She was a wonderful teacher, she was pretty, and she made learning fun. 

She let me draw things, not part of the regular art classes we had during each month, but just different things and she'd hang them on the wall in the classroom.  I loved to give her stuff.  It got displayed and I felt happy she enjoyed them.  I don't remember any of the specific things just that she let them be hung on the wall.  That gave me such a warm feeling inside, to know my favorite teacher did that. 

Her daughter went to France for her senior year in high school and Mrs. Hettich had her come speak to us about her travels and what she learned over there.  When we were allowed to ask questions, I raised my hand in the air so high, and when she called on me,  the only burning question I had in my head was "do they have popcorn over there?"   And she said "no."   I quipped back, "Well I don't think my Mom would enjoy that then, because that is her favorite snack."   What a silly thing for a kid to ask, yet it pointed to who else was on my mind at that moment, my Mom.  This would not be the only time my Mom came up in something I discussed or worked on in my school projects. 

We found out early on in the school year that Mrs. Hettich had hypoglycemia - probably because kids liked to bring in stuff for her all the time, and she had to pass on the sweets.  They would make her blood sugar go up and then crash later.  We all remembered this at the end of the school year.  

One day when she was still on her lunch break, all of the class discussed what we would like to do for Mrs. Hettich as a going away gift.  One of the kids said his Dad worked at a place that makes trophies, and so we decided to give her a trophy for the World's Best Teacher.   And for 11 and 12 year olds, somehow we came up with the money to have that made.   I suppose money from allowances or kids' parents was how that happened.  Where there was a will, there was a way.  

We also decided we would have a party, and bring foods she could eat and enjoy, not just all the snack, sweets and junk kids like to eat, though some of that would be there too.  I couldn't tell you what I brought, but I do know she was so surprised and overcome by all the attention, and the trophy I think made her cry.  She was a marvelous teacher, and like in some movies I have seen over the years, we kids repaid her for her loving care and concern for us and our education.  

I realized somewhere along the way that she belonged to the same parish my family went to.  I would always search her out at Mass and sometimes I would see her and a big grin would come across my face.  And other times, she wasn't there.  She was the first teacher I really cared about and was one of the reasons I had teaching as an aspiring career goal.  But that goal never materialized, and it would take me many years to figure out why.

                  ..... teachers were not the only people that impressed up on me as you'll see soon enough.