The Field Supervisor’s Notebook

I went into a school in Durham and the only information the secretary of the school was given was my name and that I would be coming for a short visit to meet and greet the school team. When I entered the office to sign in she put her hands on her face and said, " I don't believe it, you were my Grade 1 teacher". Can you imagine that????  She said you probably don't remember me after all of these years. I said, "What was your last name"? She said, "Walker" and I immediately said, You must be Jane. At that she cried a little tear, jumped off her chair and gave me a hug and said, "How did you remember my name?" The principal came out of his office to see what all the fuss was about and I could see he was clearly moved. At that I said, "Your father and mother were great parents. Your dad was an executive at General Motors at the time and they wrote me a beautiful letter of thanks just before I left to have my first child". She was stunned as I was to actually be privy to some of her thoughts she shared from being in my class. I will forever remember those words!  To reflect on her time in my class after all of 41 years ago brought tears to my eyes. I always tried to do my best for the kids in my class but after all of these years to know that I reached that goal from the very beginning of my career is so satisfying. To continue to have opportunities to make a difference in the teaching profession is to continue to make a difference in the lives of the children I see on my travels.