Remembering School

Editors Note: Friends joining today: Miss Debbie, Linda C, Giggles, Joyfull (check out the hair! I love it…for obvious reason!)….you could be next:)

Welcome to my first Friday with Friends….I hope that by the end of the day, we can have several friends stopping by to chat and, perhaps, share a bit from the school days and their teacher. I know Miss Debbie has a post – check hers out and then share your own!

I guess a little background is needed before I get to my teacher……

Growing up, it was me and my brother. We are only 16 months apart and so were only one grade apart going through school. Elementary school – which for me was first through sixth grade – was wonderful. There was one bus that brought in about thirty kids from…well, I don’t know where…but for the most part, the school was all neighborhood kids. We all walked to school (on our own), knew most of the families and spent the day with our friends.

My mom was a stay-at-home – as were almost all the moms – and, honestly, she welcomed us home every afternoon with snacks and milk…..and life truly was good.

My brother had, shall we say, the “larger personality” of the two of us and, although I was older, often, I was rather known as “Scott’s sister”….but that was perfectly fine. We each had our own classrooms, teachers, etc. ,and both did well in school. Those early years were wonderful years for me!

It was during those “middle years” – eighth grade – that our family moved about an hour further out…..to the country, we called it! New school – new friends – new everything. And Scott and I attended the same school – Warrenton Junior High – and some of our teachers began to overlap. Being “his sister” was more of a challenge. I was not a “wallflower” by any means and don’t even know that I was always compared to my brother…..unless, it was me who was doing the comparing. My brother was very smart, athletic, very popular and talented. I always felt challenged to “keep up.”

(Yes, this me around that age – I think ninth grade here! Don’t even get me started about my hair!) Anyway, it was during this time, that I had Miss Tomlinson as my AP English teacher. What a tremendous difference this lady made not only in my school year but in me, personally. Each one of her students were individuals – and treated and taught as such. And each one of us were, in her opinion, full of potential with wonderful talents and abilities. She not only expressed those things to us…but she helped us discover them and believe them for ourselves! I wish I knew “how” she did it but I really can’t say – she was truly a gifted teacher.

One example – I enjoyed working on the school newspaper and did for quite a bit. Awhile into it, she asked me to be the editor of the paper. Me?? The team player that was plenty comfortable just following the leader – not being the leader! I turned her down – or so I thought. She was so highly confident that I could do this job that she gave me confidence…and I took the job. Not only was it alot of work but came with lots of fun, extra (out of class) privileges. I even would leave school to walk the paper downtown to be printed by our local newspaper….it was too cool.

Having someone (other than my parents and grandparents) believe in me, not just as an editor but as a student and as a person – especially during those wonderful middle school years – was monumental….and made a difference in me for a lifetime.

Here we are – my brother and I – with my grandparents……definitely, the head of my fan club:) With their love and encouragement from teachers such as Miss Tomlinson, I really did “blossom”!

One last picture from school days – this is me (still rockin’ the hair), with my girlfriends now in high school. I’m guessin’ the draw string at the waist thing must have been totally cool?!?! If you want to join in for Friday with Friends…just leave a comment and I’ll link you in at the top! Have a great one.