A Memorable Teacher

The most memorable teacher I had as a child was my first grade teacher Mrs. Williams. She has remained in my mind for many years as one of the best teachers I ever had, and it is not because I remember what I learned from the books in her classroom. I remember Mrs. Williams for her caring and nurturing personality. I felt like she was the best because I developed such a great relationship with her.

Mrs. Williams was new to my elementary school when I had her so no one knew what to expect.  Although first grade was a very long time ago, I am almost positive that I instantly adored Mrs. Williams.  She was one of those teachers who always had a smile on her face.  I cannot remember her ever getting mad.  It was her cheerful attitude which gave the classroom such a warm and friendly feeling.

Although my favorite memories of Mrs. Williams were when she was hugging us or smiling at us or simply making the class laugh, I know we learned a great deal in her classroom as well.  One of my most vivid childhood memories is of when we were in morning circle in Mrs.  William’s class.  I think we would do this every morning to discuss either current events or important information for the day.  One day I remember Mrs.  Williams asking us if we knew why that particular day was so important, and many students did know.  It was the day the Desert Storm War had ended.  Therefore, my memories prove to me that Mrs. Williams was a compassionate yet effective teacher.  There are also many other memories of things I learned in addition to current events.

Mrs. Williams was also always very creative.  I remember we had a classroom teddy bear named Penny.  Every week or so, one of the students brought Penny the Bear home and took care of it for a week.  We all treated Penny like a baby or little sister.  Looking back I realize that the activity was a big step in learning to care for others, but back then I was just so excited to be able to take the big white teddy bear home!

Mrs. Williams was also very passionate about teaching.  One weekend, she met some of her students and their parents at a nearby creek to search for tadpoles.  It was an out of school trip that she planned and did it completely for our benefit.  Finding and discussing the tadpoles we found helped me learn so much more than if I had simply learned about them from a book.  She was so excited about teaching that she went out of her way to explore and discover with her students.

Another fun memory I have of first grade is when I came into school the morning of St. Patrick’s Day and it looked like a leprechaun had been all over our room.  She had made little green footprints all around the classroom – the desks, floor and walls.  We spent the whole rest of the day trying to figure out where the leprechaun had been and where it had gone to!  Mrs. Williams put a true effort into planning her class activities.  She created a classroom environment that was fun and educational, an environment that would be remembered by her students for years!

After first grade ended I invited Mrs. Williams over to have lunch at my house. She came over and I can remember how special it was to have my favorite teacher at my house.  She put such an effort into caring for all of her students, even after the summer had begun!  Mrs. Williams was not a teacher because it was her chosen profession; she was a teacher because it was her passion.

I developed such a strong relationship with Mrs. Williams, that when she moved a few years later, we kept in touch through mailing letters.  We wrote back and forth until sixth grade or so, and then we lost touch.  I really wish I somehow had her address so I could write her and let her know that I am a teacher myself, K-12 teacher!