She Threw Me A Party

They may forget what you said but they will not forget how you made them feel.” Carl Buechner

I’ve shared the story of a horrible teacher I had, a soul crushing teacher who seemed to get a twisted pleasure in crushing her students.

To this day, I can’t figure out why she taught, especially high-schoolers who are at the pivotal age, where they could either be shaped or broken.

I decided early on to prove this teacher wrong, but I can’t help but wonder how many souls she crushed.

Below though is the story of a teacher who shaped my life in a positive way. A kindergarten teacher I had the pleasure of working with during my senior year.

The year I worked with Special Needs Kids, I worked. alternating days in a kindergarten classroom as well. The teacher in that classroom, had a lasting impact, whereas the special needs teacher and I rarely saw eye to eye.

For some reason, it seemed she had an instant dislike of me. Thankfully it did not matter whether or not she liked me. The kids in that classroom were, and I really didn’t have to work one on one with her,

The Kindergarten Teacher was different from the teacher in the special needs class, she exuded kindness, and as much as the kids in the Special Needs Classroom taught me, so did Mrs.L. The lessons I took away that year were lifelong, and the memories often bring me comfort.

For nearly nine months I looked forward to those days when I worked with Mrs.L.

Eventually it was decided I belonged in the Kindergarten class full time. It was a relief to be honest, because I knew that was where I belonged.

I held no grudges or ill will against the other teacher. At seventeen I could see she was being run thin, working with special needs children is an extremely rewarding experience, but teachers can still face burn out, and a lot more is expected of these teachers. Thankfully this class had several aides, but the work was still challenging, and there were times it was downright heartbreaking.

They may forget what you said but they will not forget how you made them feel.” John Maxwell

There are the teachers who will make you, and those unfortunately who seemed to be bent on breaking you.

Mrs L, was one of those teachers who would fight for her students. The kind of teacher who used a teachers budget to throw a graduation party for someone she had met only months before.

"The duties of a teacher are neither few nor small, but they elevate the mind and give energy to the character." Dorothea Dix

Mrs L, encouraged me to pursue my dreams from the start. A teacher who had a way of making all of her students feel special.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”- Maya Angelou

A graduation party may not seem like a big deal, but it wasn’t the party so much as the thought behind it. The reminder that my successes counted, my hard work meant something to someone, and that I could be proud.

Some years ago, I went back to the school to learn that Mrs.L had retired, but her legacy lives on in that kindergarten class whose students are now in there thirties as well as the long ago or maybe not so long High-School Senior whose now in her mid forties.

Copyright ©️ Michelle R Kidwell

December.21.2022