Retirement Party: My Legacy I

Retirement Party: My Legacy

I was so proud to see one of my former students, Daschle, at my retirement party. "Ms. A," he said, "was the first teacher who ever taught me that learning could be fun. Sure, I cared about grades before I was in her class. But being her student actually made me enthusiastic about coming to school every day. She was always looking for 'teachable moments.' Even on days when people were stressed out and unhappy, she would acknowledge the issues we were worried about and relate them to what we were learning at the time."

One of my best students, Tamara, was also at the party: "I was a good student before I had Ms. A as a teacher. But Ms. A tapped into my creative potential. She made me understand what the scientific method was really about, and forced me to ask questions about the world around me. For the first time I questioned what I read in the newspaper, and what people told me was the truth. She also helped me to become a much better writer, and now I write for pleasure as well as for school and work-related purposes."

Ms. B, a young teacher whom I mentored, was the next to speak. "Ms. A was so helpful when I began my professional career. She was critical in a constructive and productive fashion. She allowed me to teach part of her class very freely when I was a student teacher, and would give valuable input about my lesson plans afterwards."

Mr. S, one of my colleagues, added. "I still remember the class trip that we took to the science museum. It was such a great way to relate what we were teaching in our classes to tangible and visual media. I always respected how you would draw upon your student's multiple intelligences, and made use of a variety of techniques in your classes. Every time I walked by your classroom, I would see the students with their desks together, working on projects, and the room was always decorated with educational media and students' artistic creations."

One of the parents of a special needs child stood up. "Your class, coupled with resource room help, was so important for my son. Brad is very gifted at physical skills and art, but he always struggled to catch up in language arts and math. You stayed with him after class, and taught him special visual and mnemonic devices that reinforced what had been learned during the day, enabling him to keep pace with his peer group. Now he is a college student and is no longer classified as special needs."

Another parent added: "I remember chaperoning with you on the Washington DC trip for the 8th grade. It was amazing how you always kept your sense of humor, even in some trying circumstances, like traffic jams and 100 degree heat! You also took the time to reinforce the educational component of the trip, while still being able to relax and have fun."