I just read a blog on Life as a Human about teacher appreciation week which is apparently a big deal in the US.  I suppose we have a specific week or day in Canada for teacher appreciation, though giving teacher appreciation gifts has certainly become a common thing at Christmas and at the end of the year.  I have a lot of friends who are teachers and at these times of the year they receive a ton of chocolate as gifts from their students.  Some of my friends (I can think of one chocaholic in particular) appreciate this, and others, not so much, especially if they were planning a New Year's diet regime resolution.  

Reading that blog right after I had posted my Mother's Day blog on my gratitude for things I learned from my Mum, got me thinking about what I have learned from the teachers in my life.  A few teachers stand out as those who took a particular interest in the kids in their class and in me.  These were the teachers who really had a passion for teaching and seeing kids learn to make connections on their own.  These were the teachers who cared about more than just if you could answer the math questions and sit still in your oh so uncomfortable desk.  They wanted to see you grow and they wanted to be a part of that growth.  And grow we did under the warmth of their thoughtfulness and friendly challenges.  

Oh and I have to share this funny little memory I just had:  I loved my grade two teacher.  She was so warm and genuine and I couldn't get enough of her.  None of us could.  We would clamour for the privilege of staying behind at the end of the day to erase the chalk boards and straighten up the classroom.  I so loved her that I wanted to give her something special and so I gave her one of the best teacher appreciation gifts in the history of teacher gifts.  I gave her my Mum's wedding ring (from her first marriage, not the one she was wearing at the time).  In my grade two wisdom I thought this was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.  My Mum never wore this ring, so she obviously didn't like it.  It was in the box of jewellery she would let my sister and I use for dress-up.  I was sure my teacher would love it.  She obviously loved the new ring she was sporting after she showed up to school one day with a new last name.  I was so excited to give her something special and shiny that she would really appreciate.  I think I was too shy to actually express how much I loved her and why.  I probably just gave her the ring and told her I really wanted her to have it.  This teacher was so terrific.  She smiled down at me with warmth in her eyes and told me what a nice gift this was.  I was in heaven.  Later that day she called my Mum to let her know that I had been very generous, but that she didn't think it was a gift she could keep.  I think they had a good-hearted chuckle at my expense, but both were very good about the whole thing when they spoke to me.  

Today I think this teacher would have far more appreciated to hear my voice, to hear me tell her what it was I so loved about her.  If I could return to that day (or any day that school year) I would tell her that she made coming to school each day such a joy, that she made us all feel so special and welcomed in her classroom, that she made the lessons fun, that she had such a lovely and gentle way of commanding respect from her fidgety students, that she did such a good job of highlighting what we were good at and didn't judge us or cruelly point out our weaknesses.  I don't think any of us in that class were ever made to feel stupid or ashamed.  I remember a lot of laughter and a lot of learning.  I still remember the little song she made up to help us learn the order of the months of the year.  

I'm sitting across from Sarala as I write this and so I ask her, "who was the teacher who stands out as someone you learned a lot from?"  Her answer, "Well, grade school was a long time ago for me so I'm not sure I can call up too many memories."  And now she adds, "In grade 8 or 10 I had a teacher who said something that was quite profound to me at that time.  I recall her as being a somewhat strange woman, but she said that adults have the same feelings that kids do.  She said that she still felt embarrassed, ashamed and even shy. This was the first time I realized that adults were human.  I didn't think they had feelings and could have their feelings hurt or any of those things that trip you up as a kid.  It stands out as one of those memorable 'awakening' moments".   

I'm laughing, now, and yet, Sarala is right.  I don't think as kids we realized that adults had all the vulnerabilities that we had as kids.  I guess we just thought all that just magically disappeared upon our leap from high school to real life.  I think, now, that this is why certain teachers stand out so positively compared to some of their colleagues.  These teachers  knew that as we grew, our vulnerabilities would grow with us and that rather than highlight our weaknesses, they could take the care and effort to help shrink our vulnerabilities and grow our strengths.  And that is a gift from those special teachers I truly appreciate.