This week will mark the second year that I am not returning to the classroom. After twenty-nine years of teaching, I am grateful for the wonderful people who taught with me, for the fabulous students I have taught, and for one of the finest principals who truly molded me as a person.
I started teaching in Deer Park in 1985. I was a first grade teacher at Parkwood Elementary, and my principals were Harry Fuller and Norma Minter. They were an interesting combination. Norma...the quintessential lady....Harry, the renegade, the yellow-dog Democrat, the "rough around the edges" kind of guy. I was an innocent little girl who had just recently graduated from Texas A&M, super conservative, very sheltered.
When I first met Harry, I loved him immediately. Somehow, he seemed to staff his school with cute, thin, young girls who loved little children. He also loved kids, and he often shared his wisdom with me in the early morning hours when it was just the two of us at the school before everyone else had arrived. Harry had very strong opinions about certain things. Number one, education was important; however, loving children was the most important thing that you could do for them. Number two, relax and enjoy the children. They were all going to turn out okay. Number three, do not sacrifice your family and life for work. Harry always said that if you dropped dead in the parking lot of the school, "People will just step over you to get to their cars." In other words, do not make "work" your life. One of my favorite memories of Harry was when he told me about one of his elementary school teachers. He did not remember a single thing that she taught him, but he DID remember how she embraced the children on the cold playground by wrapping them up in her coat. That story changed how I viewed my role as a teacher. If I taught them nothing more than I was a safe place for them to fall, I had succeeded. I fondly remember Harry spending an entire day of work calling around to various auto mechanic shops, trying to find an inexpensive way for one of our single teachers to get her car fixed. I also remember him helping a young teacher, who found herself pregnant and unmarried, to get what she needed to prepare for a new baby.
I called Harry when I left Deer Park and asked him about what he thought about my going to Barbers Hill. He offered me his blessing and explained how he thought that Barbers Hill was similar to Deer Park years before. It was the last time we spoke. I was not able to attend his enormous funeral because I was out of town, but I will never forget the impact he had on my life. Although he has been gone for many years, I still think of him and smile. I hope that my legacy will be like Harry's. Remember me, and smile. Tell my stories. Love others, no matter how flawed they might be. Relax and enjoy what is really important in life. In the days of state testing, political correctness, climbing the professional ladder....I am so happy that I knew Harry!! Those of you who are aspiring to be superintendents, principals, etc., you would have benefitted spending one day with this fabulous man!!! I think he could have taught you a thing or two about what education is truly about!!! Blessed to have known him.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Mon Appartement en Paris
Prior to my retirement, eighteen months ago, I had planned that I would spend one month in Paris and live like a native. About six months ago, I rented a two bedroom in Le Marais, a very eclectic and safe district in Paris. I departed on Monday for my month long adventure with my husband and my mother in tow. Neither one of them had ever been to Europe, and I was so anxious to show them around my favorite city!
Our flight arrived on time at 8:30 AM, and we were met by a concierge service from the aparment rental company. The apartment is quite quaint. It is in a building that is at least a hundred years old, or older. For those of you who are joining me in a week or so, the outside of the apartment is being renovated, so the view from the living area is horrid!!! We slept fairly well last night, but the noise outside does get a little getting used to. David and I bought a rotating fan today, so that should help with the ground noise. The temperatures have ranged from about 75 to the middle 50's. It is a pleasant relief from the sweltering heat of Texas.
Today, we went on a train to Monet's Jardin in Giverny. We managed to learn the Metro system and even ventured out of town on the RER. David and I are quite proud of ourselves for this accomplishment. My seventy-five year old mother has been a trooper!!! She has managed to keep up with us all day. We treated ourselves to a shampoo and blow-dry this evening, and it was fabulous. Can you believe that there is a salon two doors down from my apartment?
As I always do, I am going to share with you some lessons I have learned these last two days.
1. Even though I have studied French for one year, I cannot understand it or speak a damn thing worth saying! I think David knows more than I do.
2. People on the Metro need to have a little bit of Southern "mothering." When an elderly lady gets on the bus, you get your young butt up and give her a seat!!!! This should not be a cultural thing!!! It is called good upbringing.
3. You cannot readily buy light beer in Paris.
4. Deodorant should be a part of every person's daily routine.
5. Women in Paris can ride a bicycle in heels better than any women on the planet, and they look so stinking chic, it makes me want to spit!
6. Summer scarfs are still in style.
7. Apparently, tights are making a comeback with shorts and skirts. I am not talking about the opaque tights; some of the "tres chic" are wearing sheer tights with shorts and skirts. I am praying this trend does not migrate across the pond.
8. Monet sure did know how to plant a garden.
9. A croque monsieur is never a bad idea.
10. There are always truly good people who you meet in this world...the type of people who make your heart smile and make you realize that we all have so much in common. The sweetest little old lady helped us to navigate the Metro yesterday. She spoke no English, and I (unfortunately) spoke no French, but with her helpful gestures, we were able to board the correct train. Bless her little heart.
9.
Our flight arrived on time at 8:30 AM, and we were met by a concierge service from the aparment rental company. The apartment is quite quaint. It is in a building that is at least a hundred years old, or older. For those of you who are joining me in a week or so, the outside of the apartment is being renovated, so the view from the living area is horrid!!! We slept fairly well last night, but the noise outside does get a little getting used to. David and I bought a rotating fan today, so that should help with the ground noise. The temperatures have ranged from about 75 to the middle 50's. It is a pleasant relief from the sweltering heat of Texas.
Today, we went on a train to Monet's Jardin in Giverny. We managed to learn the Metro system and even ventured out of town on the RER. David and I are quite proud of ourselves for this accomplishment. My seventy-five year old mother has been a trooper!!! She has managed to keep up with us all day. We treated ourselves to a shampoo and blow-dry this evening, and it was fabulous. Can you believe that there is a salon two doors down from my apartment?
As I always do, I am going to share with you some lessons I have learned these last two days.
1. Even though I have studied French for one year, I cannot understand it or speak a damn thing worth saying! I think David knows more than I do.
2. People on the Metro need to have a little bit of Southern "mothering." When an elderly lady gets on the bus, you get your young butt up and give her a seat!!!! This should not be a cultural thing!!! It is called good upbringing.
3. You cannot readily buy light beer in Paris.
4. Deodorant should be a part of every person's daily routine.
5. Women in Paris can ride a bicycle in heels better than any women on the planet, and they look so stinking chic, it makes me want to spit!
6. Summer scarfs are still in style.
7. Apparently, tights are making a comeback with shorts and skirts. I am not talking about the opaque tights; some of the "tres chic" are wearing sheer tights with shorts and skirts. I am praying this trend does not migrate across the pond.
8. Monet sure did know how to plant a garden.
9. A croque monsieur is never a bad idea.
10. There are always truly good people who you meet in this world...the type of people who make your heart smile and make you realize that we all have so much in common. The sweetest little old lady helped us to navigate the Metro yesterday. She spoke no English, and I (unfortunately) spoke no French, but with her helpful gestures, we were able to board the correct train. Bless her little heart.
9.
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