My Big Fat Life: Some of the most unselfish people she knows are teachers …

Published in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner Monday June 7th, 2010

June is here! I love this time of year. When you work at NBCC, the month of June is a consuming one. It’s all about planning for next year, but it’s also all about planning for graduation.

I have a quote in my daytimer that says, “A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.”

The author is unknown but I know it could have been written for many of the teachers I’ve come to know over the years.

Whether they were my own teachers, teachers my children have had, or teachers I’ve worked alongside … for the most part, teachers are a very special breed.

I’m not saying every teacher is amazing, but I think most of them are.

I have wonderful memories of many of my teachers. There was my Grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Kelson, who sat us in a circle so everyone could see each other. She taught us a song for our timetables and showed us how to make bread-bag kites that we took outside to try on a beautiful spring afternoon. There was Mrs. Smith who taught Grade 5 at Alderwood Elementary. She read to us every day after lunch. What a wonderful treat that was.

She read Pippi Longstocking and Charlotte’s Web, among others. She was tough, but sweet and I think I found my love of reading through her.

Mrs. Putt at Sir John A. Macdonald High School outside of Halifax inspired a love of news through her teaching in Modern World Problems.

Mrs. Ginsburg taught shorthand (I took it so I could cover court as a reporter – I knew early on what I wanted to do) and pushed her students to succeed. I will never forget when I spontaneously hugged her in class when I finally got to the 100 words per minute dictation mark. She told me she always knew I could do it. I will never forget the feeling I had that day when I reached my goal.

Fast-forward to my own children, and more wonderful teachers. Cathy James-Cutler in Iqaluit taught my daughter Kristen Grades 2 and 4. She always tried to come up with interesting and fun ways to encourage learning. There were field trips and indoor beach parties, building projects and cooking.

My daughter Kathryn truly loved Mrs. Black during her first year at Woodstock Centennial Elementary.

Kathryn was painfully shy, but Mrs. Black was able to get her to try new things, and bring her out of her shell. We will be forever grateful for her love and patience that year.

And my son James was also blessed with amazing teachers over the years. Right now his favourite teacher is Mrs. Bird at Woodstock Middle School. She’s inspired a love of science in our boy. He loves being in her classroom where she teaches through hands-on learning. One thing my son loves is learning by getting messy.

There was Mrs. Barb Mitchell, who taught Grade 3 at Happy Valley-Goose Bay’s Peacock Elementary. Barb was as patient as they come. She once admitted to feeling awfully guilty for saying James’ name so often in class. Our son has some attention issues.

During one parent-teacher session, Mrs. Mitchell admitted how much she loved him.

“He never gets upset or frustrated with the amount of times I have to tell him to keep on task. One day I apologized for having to say his name so many times and he hugged me and told me that was OK.” She said it made her want to cry. That year at Christmas, she knit James a set of mittens, a hat and a scarf. He loved her so.

But one of the best examples of a beautiful teacher has to be James’ Grade 1 teacher, Mrs. Pauline Edwards.

Mrs. Edwards was also at Peacock Elementary. She noticed James was having some difficulty and quickly got him some extra help both in and out of the classroom that year.

When James continued to have difficulty in Grade 2, she offered to tutor him, but wouldn’t accept any pay.

Twice a week for the entire year James went to her house after school and got reading and writing help. By the end of that year his reading had improved and so did James’ confidence.

I cry when I think of what an amazing, selfless gift she gave my son that year. She was a wonderful role model, giving without receiving.

She taught him that hard work pays off and that reading is fun. And what gets me every time is that she took time for a boy who wasn’t even in her class anymore.

She was a member of our church choir in Goose Bay as well. Every Sunday she was treated to a huge hug from James after church. His eyes lit up every time he saw her.

When I tucked him into bed one night he confided in me that he wanted to marry Mrs. Edwards when he grew up.

I loved him for loving her, and couldn’t help but love her myself … this beautiful woman who was a natural teacher and who truly cared about the children in her classroom – cared for them as her own, worrying about them even after they left her grade. I think of her every time my son picks up a book and thank God for people like Mrs. Edwards.

(Note: If you’d like to share stories of teachers who inspire you, drop me a line at teachers@mybigfatlife.ca and I will again pay tribute to these beautiful people next week. Share and share often. People like Mrs. Edwards need to be recognized for the wonderful and positive impact they make in this world.)

Theresa Blackburn is a wife, mother and New Brunswick Community College instructor who lives and diets in Woodstock. You can email her at theresa@mybigfatlife.ca, or join her group, Big Fat Life, on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter at My_Big_Fat_Life.