Mr. Carter

I have so much to catch up on and I will real soon.... but I have to share an experience that I had yesterday at work.  This week is Teacher Appreciation Week..... so I thought I would sit down and write a letter to my favorite teachers.  As a teacher I know how it is to hear from students that you were appreciated.

I wrote a letter to my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Wolsey.  In high school I had an internship class and went back to her classroom as an intern.  I see her in the grocery stores around town or the mall and we always hug.  I had to write  her a letter telling her how much I appreciate her.  We had a common enemy too!  (Her ex-husband was my ex-choir teacher at LHS....)

Another teacher I absolutely loved was Mr. Bill Carter at Fairfield Jr. High.  I had him for 9th grade geography.  In his class, he had posted all over the walls those Farside calendar jokes..... I mean ALL OVER... He taught with different accents for whatever we were talking about.  He was one of those total goober teachers.  As you can see from his picture below.... I was getting a C in his class, and on 9th grade Lagoon Day, he made a deal with me... "If you do the bungee jump with me" (and another one of my friends who was getting a C).... "I will raise your grade!".... Of course my response was.... "DEAL!"  So we did it... We both cried when we did it but we did it!  And he kept up his part of the deal too! Three years after taking his class, I graduated from LHS.  After graduation, lunch, pictures and really just thinking about the last 12 years of my life and pouting at home thinking it is the end of the world.... I walked out to my mailbox to get the mail and there was a piece of mail for me..... I opened it... in it was a lovely note of congratulations and encouragement and a Sacajawea Dollar.... from Mr. Carter.  Once again.... he made my day.  I still have that dollar today and the card..... I hope to be a good teacher like he was to me!

Because I teach in the same district that they still teach in, I sent a paper copy of the letter to them in what we call the "Pony".... They got it in their box at school.  I thought nothing more of the letters after I sent them... and the same day that they got those letters.... I had a wonderful surprise in my classroom.... Mr. Carter, good old Mr. Carter... He came knocking on my classroom door.  He totally surprised me!  I would have to say.... The best surprise of my teaching career.  I was so surprised and excited that I started to cry... (crying as I write this..)  We visited and talked about old memories we had.  He made me feel so special so many years ago, and he made me feel so special again this day.  I was able to introduce him to some of my students and show him my school and class (not like he has never seen one.. he has only taught for 30 years!)... He again, said he was proud of me and where I am today, and he hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and said 4 words: "Thank you.  Love you."..... He is truly an amazing man.  I will never forget how good I felt in his class years ago, and how I felt when he was in my class a day ago.

My number one favorite "teacher"  from back in my school days was not a classroom teacher...... It was my Vice Principal in high school..... My Dad.  My dad has always been and will always be one of my hero's, friends, teachers, etc.  Yes he taught me as I grew up and teaches me things now... But my 3 years in high school was unlike anyone Else's....  I had the wonderful blessing of having my dad with me.  When I got started I thought it would be the death of me..... Boy was I wrong!  While we had those 3 years together, we had ballgames, dances, assemblies, and so much more together.....  He was also my Bishop.  We had girls camp, interviews, activities etc.  EVERYWHERE  I went I can honestly say that my dad was there and I loved every minute of it! I loved that he was at everyone of my volleyball games, choir concerts, dances, try-outs, parent teacher conferences etc.  I loved that when I got a parking ticket at school..... it would say "quit parking in this teachers spot and move your damn car!" (I would park in another teachers spot when someone else would park in his spot.... We shared a car, so I often had rock star parking!) I love that I would ditch class and hang out at home with friends, and he would come home to catch a flight to ref a game, and tell us it is only fair for us to come into his office Monday morning for a truancy.... or he would greet us at the door when we took a "long lunch" and welcome us back to school.... I loved having a friend there all of the time.

He has encouraged me to do so many things in life that are outside of my bubble and out of the norm for me, because of that I have grown.  Words cannot explain how grateful I am for this man.  Words cannot explain the example he is to me.  Words cannot explain what a wonderful person he really is.  My long term goal is to be a great Administrator like him.  Thank you dad for your wonderful example. 

Thank you to all of my many teachers.  (I don't think any of them read this... in case they do...)  Thank you to all of the teachers out there.  You put so much work into teaching other peoples children, and you put up with so much!  Thank you!