My Mom...the Best Teacher I Know

I am the daughter of a teacher. I guess it's no mystery why I am a teacher. Growing up holds memories of visiting my mom's classroom and meeting her kids. "Her kids"...that's how she always referred to her students. I remember every Thursday night was the night she sat down at the kitchen table and spread out her lesson plan book and her manuals (Remember...with the spirals?!?!) and she would write out her plans for the week. I remember listening to her read aloud books to her students whenever I visited. I remember her kids hugging her and how much she loved each and every student.

This week was my mom's last week of teaching. She started in 1968 (that's forty-eight years ago). Most of her years spent in the classroom have been spent with first graders. She "officially retired" seven years ago, but quickly returned to the classroom, part time. Thursday she said goodbye. Here's what she posted on Facebook: 

My mom loves teaching. She loves teachers. She taught me how to put my students first and how to listen to what they need. One of the greatest compliments I've received as a teacher is when a friend told me that when I read aloud to my students, I sounded just like my mother. That's what I reach for...to be a teacher like my mother.

I celebrate my mom today. I celebrate the passion she put into her teaching. I celebrate the way she made her students feel. I celebrate the lives she changed. I celebrate her strength and her wisdom and I celebrate her.
 

Happy retirement to my mom...to my hero! I love you!

Thank you to Ruth Ayres for providing this space to share our celebrations. Please join us and share your own!