I attended Greater Atlanta Christian School from Kindergarten~12th grade. While there, I had some great teachers....and some that were a little more boring I must admit. Every school has their great and not so great teachers. It's true. Of course, truth be told, it might not really be that my history teacher was really boring so much that I just didn't get into history.
Kindergarten~Mrs. Powell. I remember her as being a little plump and really nice. One random thing I remember from K was friends gathering around me to sing 'Happy Birthday' when I came into the classroom and me raising my lunchbox as if to hit them! How horrible of me. I don't know what I was thinking?!?! Wait! That might have been 1st grade because I went to 1/2 day Kindergarten so why would I have had a lunchbox? Anyway..... I haven't seen her in forever!
1st grade~Mrs. LaMar. I remember that she had dark hair and I think she lived in our neighborhood which I thought was way cool. I remember not knowing how to tie my shoes and her having to do it for me. I also remember going to pick up lunch from the cafeteria with a friend (we ate in our room) and taking a "shortcut" that took alot longer than it should have and we got in trouble. She reminded us that we had recently watched a video (probably a filmstrip!) about the dangers of taking shortcuts! I haven't seen her in forever.
2nd grade~Mrs. Swaim. *sigh* Mrs. Swaim. I was googly eyed over this lady. I thought she was the sweetest and the prettiest teacher in the whole wide world! I remember that she had dark hair that was kind of "high" & I so distinctly remember her sitting at her desk using her eyelash curler! totally random memory. Of course, I also remember thinking that I was her absolute favorite student in the whole world. Could I have been wrong with my thinking? Perhaps, but I sure believed in then. One time, she left the room and told us, "Do not get up." Well, my rubber cement was on the chalkboard rail behind her desk and I needed it. Surely she wouldn't mind if I got up to get it. After all, I was her favorite, right? She came back in as I was up and she got onto me. *gasp*
I went to speech during part of my elementary years. I couldn't say my "R's" correctly. I improved immensely but I still dread having to say the name, "Roy." I just can't do it! One of my biggest fears growing up was that I would fall in love with a guy named Roy or have a student in my class named Roy. It is my dad's middle name! Once during 2nd grade, some kids were making fun of me and I remember Mrs. Swaim getting on to them.
Her son was in the same class as my brother and once or twice my brother & I got to spend the night with her when my parents were out of town! I think that was probably after my 2nd grade year but it was the coolest! I haven't seen her in forever.
3rd grade~Mrs. Vick/Miss Neal. Mrs. Vick started out the year as my teacher but she left to have a baby. My parents don't remember that she was my teacher but I am 99.9% positive that she was for the first part of the year. Miss Neal replaced her and she was a cool, single teacher with energy! We built a table between 2 trees out of sticks & stiff out in back of our quonset hut and she took our pictures standing on the table. She took the picture and framed it using old wallpaper samples and wrote something nice about us on the back. She was tall, skinny & had curly hair. Mrs. Vick still attends my parents' church but I haven't seen Miss Neal in forever.
4th grade~Mrs. Mankin.
This was the year I started wearing glasses. I also ran for student council. I also loved playing "Oregon Trail" on the computer! She still teaches at GAC and I will occasionally see her. 5th grade~Mrs. S. Henderson/Mr. Adams. Mrs. Henderson was my homeroom teacher. I think Mr. Adams only taught me Bible. One of the biggest thrills of this year was getting chosen as the student who could rub Mrs. Henderson's shoulders while she read to us! She would probably die if she knew that's what I remember most about her! It was so cool though if you were the kid who got to do it that day! I haven't seen Mr. Adams in forever but I still see Mrs. Henderson just about every time I go to church with my parents.
6th grade~Mrs. A. Henderson/Mrs. Latham/Mrs. Burnett. I believe Mrs. Henderson was my homeroom teacher this year but we rotated through all 3 of the teacher for the different subjects. I remember having a big "meeting" with a bunch of kids because one group was being mean to another group. Such drama! I also remember the girls having the "talk" about you-know-what with a nurse. I don't think it was the s-e-x talk but the p-u-b-e-r-t-y talk. I see Mrs. Henderson just about every time I go to church with my parents but I haven't seen the other 2 in a long time.
Jr. High & High School ~I'm not even going to attempt to remember many of my teachers from this time but I did really like Mr. Jimmy Jones. Sr. & AP English. With this man I read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." I don't remember much of it but I don't think it had much to do with motorcycle maintenance!
He was~and still is~a really sweet man! ACU~As with high school, I won't try to name many of them but some I recall as being favorites are Dr. Perry Reeves, Dr. Dan White, Mr. Kelly Hamby and Mrs. Lucy Hatch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having taught school "pre-children," I do have some students whom I remember more than others. One or two I occasionally keep up with and some that I really wish I knew what they were up to now.
from Lubbock: Fanangelena, Kristen, Kenny, Paul, Blaze, Doug, Robyn, Sarah.....I wonder where they are and what they're doing. Kristen & I will communicate from time to time and I emailed with Blaze's mom awhile back but the others I just wonder........
from Uvalde: Rayanah. She was one of the smartest little girls I have ever met. Truly mature beyond where most 2nd graders were. Josh. Roger. Ricky. Carlos. Israel. Steven. Eric. Javier. These are just a few of the ones I think about and wonder about. I certainly hope that if they write about their 6th or 2nd grade teacher one day that they write nice things. I hope I made that sort of an impression on them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Lord,
As a new school year gets ready to start, please surround all of the students, teachers, administrators, custodial staff, secretaries & parents with your love & protection. It takes alot of people to run a school and some don't get the recognition they deserve. Be with the parents & children who have chosen to homeschool and help their experience to be a pleasing one to You. Be with the parents & children who have chosen to go with the public schools and help their experience to be a pleasing one to You. Be with the parents & children who have chosen to go with a private school and help their experience to be a pleasing one to You. No matter where a child attends school, please protect them emotionally, spiritually, physically & mentally. Help them to shine their light for You wherever they may be for there are mutiple opportunities daily for them to do this. Help them to recognize the opportunities and seize them as much as You want them to. Help us, as parents, to be the example that our kids need in order to know how to shine their light and help us to "practice what we preach."
Be with my precious Gracie as she begins 1st grade. It seems weird to even say that. I think surely she can't be that old, but she is. Help her to succeed academically but more importantly to succeed in her spiritual growth. Help Chris & I to be what we need to be in order for her to grow, mature & learn as You want her to. Please give Mrs. Stauffer, the lady who is to be her 1st grade teacher, the wisdom she needs to teach Gracie. Help her to be firm with the students in order to have good classroom control but to also be gentle. Help her to see the potential that some students have and to challenge them appropriately and help her to see the weaknesses that some students have and give them the extra help they need. Please let her be to Gracie, and to all of the students, what You want her to be.
Please give Katie peace & happiness. Help her to obey and mature as a 2 year old should. Help us to give her the time & attention that we need to so that she can grow as she should.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment