I found myself in a meeting yesterday with a lot of district leaders, most of whom had come through the ranks as teachers first. Our superintendent asked us to share our “most memorable moment in education,” which solicited all kinds of stories about their teachers, their roles as administrators, their work with students, and even their own children’s encounters with learning in and out of school. Each of us commented on how hard it was to come up with just ONE moment, and listening to others’ stories reminded me of even more experiences I’ve had, probably numbering in the 100s.
So, I’ve decided to post a #memorablemomentineducation every school day this year (or at least as many days as I can remember to do it)! Thankfully, most are happy memories, but I’m sure there are a few moments of frustration in 35+ years of formal education. Here’s number 1:
I always say I’m a teacher because I was fortunate to have been taught by so many amazing teachers in my own life. I attended my neighborhood public schools and never thought twice about whether another option was available to me. Some may say my experiences are an exception, but I will tell you that is not the case. Year in and year out, I was taught by amazing women and men who were dedicated to their craft and to their students.
So I want to tell you about my French teacher Vicki Swetz who happened to appear in my news feed yesterday. I started taking French classes a year later than all the other “honors kids” in my school. As a result, I was not supposed to take the final French V course as a senior. But Mme. Swetz saw a desire and a drive in me that translated into an offer to tutor me in French IV over the summer between my junior and senior years. She handed me a textbook, assigned me the exercises, and met with me periodically over those two months to practice my speaking skills. She didn’t get paid. She didn’t roll her eyes when I skipped a few chapters in favor of hanging with my friends. She probably didn’t even mind when I didn’t say “thank you” enough. I mean, what teacher would do such a thing?! Well, my teacher. I remember sitting in her office learning the subjunctive, expanding my vocabulary, and practicing the appropriate way to pronounce an “r.” In subsequent years on a couple occasions, once as student and once as teacher, I got to travel to France with her to practice all that I had learned, all that she had taught me. Merci, Madame!