Appreciating Teachers…

For the longest time I knew I wanted to be a teacher. Maybe it was because I developed a small classroom of stuffed animals that were mostly Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids who were the best students ever, or maybe it was because I had some inspiring and amazing teachers along the way…but at a young age I just knew…I wanted to be a teacher.

When I started Kindergarten I absolutely hated school. I mean kicking, screaming, crying, “sick all the time” didn’t want to go to school. Sharon Wunderle changed that. She was kind, she was caring, and man could she whistle. I started to like school a little (even if I had a perm in Kindergarten…thanks, mom).

I went to a small grade school in the town of Cambria, Illinois. I knew everyone in my school, and there was one class for each grade (unlike now where there might be 7 classes of second grade, for example). My aunt was the librarian and she looked out for me. My closest friends were in school with me from Kindergarten all the way to high school. Some were even with me during college.

Back to Cambria Grade School for a moment.

Each year I developed a love for school, and a genuine love and respect for each teacher in that building. First grade with Gloria Bishop taught me the importance of reading, and I’m pretty sure I had the best reading group. I could also color like no tomorrow, might have even won a coloring contest a time or two. Second grade with Jackie Corder made me want braces (because she had them). I loved reading even more, and even had my name put on the board (with a checkmark) for talking…thanks, Mr. Substitute Teacher. Third grade with Mary Hagan made me hate math…that’s no lie. I did not enjoy learning new math concepts at all. Fourth grade…Sherry Schaefer Crain…my goodness. I loved everything about this class, this teacher who was so joyous, caring, dedicated, loving, well, she changed my life (yes, I realize I was only in fourth grade with her as a teacher, but we connect again later in life). Mary Lou Brown was my fifth grade teacher and we began to get more intense with our work (and reading, yay), then in sixth grade Janice Trammell gave me confidence in myself that I didn’t know I had–I also became “that Cambria kid who made the Carterville basketball team”–this was long before the “Tri-C” days. When I see Cambria Grade School now, I’m flooded with memories. Especially memories of my aunt Debbie in the library. I remember the book fairs that we had, the Clifford pencils and books that I had during first and second grades, and the babysitters club books she held for me in fifth and sixth grade. OREGON TRAIL, YOU GUYS. I died of dysentery many times in the Cambria library.

Side note: P.E. was one of my favorite “subjects” with the amazing Ken Suchy. Loved having the “Cambria World Series” when we would play softball, and getting to try my hand at gymnastics (Cambria kids, remember being “flipped” over that “cheese?”).

Junior High was full of mixed emotions…coming from Cambria I could have been an outsider, but I was never really made to feel that way. Many teachers throughout those vital seventh and eighth grade years helped me (even helped me understand math), and I made new friends, played some basketball, ran some track. Coaches challenged me and gave me opportunities that also helped shape my life with a simple game of basketball. Thank you, Bruce Childers.

High School. Everyone remembers it as good or bad. For me, it was mostly good. I know this sounds crazy, but I knew that I wanted to be an English teacher in high school. I’m pretty sure it had to do with Monty Tyner and Sheri Hunter. No, I’m positive it had to do with those two teachers. I was never more excited about vocabulary books and quizzes, Shakespeare, poetry, literature, and really having a discussion of a novel than I was in those classes. These teachers cared. They wanted the best for their students, they pushed their students, and they instilled in me an appreciation for the humanities. Mrs. Hunter’s College English class also prepped me for English Composition (which I now teach). I learned a little bit about my family–Mrs. Hunter was a classmate of my Dad in high school, and Mr. Tyner is a relative! That doesn’t happen often, friends. This is why small towns have special places in my heart.

What solidified my decision to become an English teacher was a conversation with Mrs. Hunter and a trip to England. SOLD. Seeing the Globe Theatre, visiting the campus of Oxford University, seeing a play at the Strand..that culture and experience made me appreciate the things I learned about literature, poetry, novels, culture, art…and I learned those things in English classes.

College…

I chose to stay close to home. It was at John A. Logan where I met amazing people and caring teachers who have shaped me as a person. I was also fortunate enough to continue playing basketball and had two great influences, Marty Hawkins and Kristin Shelby who not only gave me the chance to play ball, but helped me further my education. I wasn’t treated as some “jock” or “lady basketball player,” I was treated like a student-athlete. I was able to travel parts of the United States because of basketball. More importantly, I was able to finish my associate’s degree and work my way to becoming an English teacher.

Fun fact: I work at the College I was once a student at many, many years ago (and I still get to see Kristin and Marty!).

SIU was a different story. At times I felt like a number more than a person, someone shuffling from class to class while trying to balance all the things: work, social life, homework, classes, and eventually a family. It wasn’t until I went back to school (after a very, very long 9 year “maternity leave”) that I found a way to fit in as a non-traditional student.

I completed the remaining requirements of my bachelor’s degree in one semester. I had no idea I was that close to finishing until an advisor, Angela Hunter, went through my transcripts with me. With guidance from the English department (thanks, Dr. Shapiro), I did something I never thought possible.

Remember that fourth grade teacher?? Yep. She comes back into the picture as one of the cheerleaders I had in my corner. She never gave up on me. Never. I always pictured her, my parents, my brother, and my kids rooting me on (even when I felt like quitting). Y’all, that’s the impact of a teacher.

It seemed totally normal to dive head first into graduate school, so that’s just what I did. Graduate school became a challenge. I was old. I was super unsure of myself, questioning how I even made it this far (imposter syndrome)…but I did it. I was doing it. Office mates saved me from the turmoil of two years of chaos and insanity that came with getting a master’s degree in literature.

Professors were kind, caring, and genuinely interested in my research and my life. Dr. Ed Brunner was one of the professors who made me realize that I am fully capable of writing anything I want…I just need to get to the point and say it. He took me under his wing and worked with me on crafting a thesis that was a major part of my life for two and a half years. His guidance gave me confidence and let me tell a story that is so important: we must work to understand the trauma of war and hear the stories of our veterans and service members. He made me feel as if my work was some of the best out there, and he cared. 

Dr. Lisa McClure taught me to never give up on my ideas and dreams, and she taught me that it is okay to speak my opinion/mind. She gave me an ability to believe in my work and let me see that work from various points of view. She challenged me with various writing projects, and she gave me an appreciation for rhetoric and composition and the value of first-year composition. In addition to all of that, Dr. Brunner and Dr. McClure encouraged my work and study of veterans, which lead me to continued research in veterans studies.

Anna Jackson hugged me every day that I saw her at SIU. Her office was across the hall from an office full of loud, sleep-deprived, overly stressed graduate students. I always met her with a smile, she always had a kind word, and she (during my first round of undergrad) taught me important skills about becoming an English teacher. Her sweet soul, compassion, and smile is contagious. I honestly could turn my day around after a hug and a conversation with her. She was also a member of my thesis committee…and for that I am forever grateful.

Dr. George Boulukos taught me not to be intimidated by research and the study of something valuable, like the novel. I was a scared MA student in a seminar full of PhD students in his course. I was out of my league. He never made me feel that way. He also gave me an ability to see my work in trauma theory in a different light. I worked on my thesis research in his seminar and received amazing feedback. He made me feel comfortable at a time in my life when I really questioned graduate school and how I even made it that far (remember, imposter syndrome).

Dr. Ronda Dively helped me understand the importance of pedagogy in the composition classroom. I learned how to be an instructor because of her class. Grading essays was frightening to me as a first year grad student, but Dr. Dively made me feel confident in the way I could assess an essay. Standing up in front of a classroom full of college students was nerve-wracking, but she made me realize that I had tools to be the best instructor I could be all along. She and Dr. McClure provided a foundation for studies in rhetoric and composition, and without their guidance, courses, and pep-talks along the way, I don’t think I would be where I am at today…

And Dr. Besty Dougherty…you may not know it, but during your class, when I had to rush out because my mom was in an accident…you reaching out to me after, to see if she was okay…well, that meant more to me than you’ll ever know. Your class was a bright spot in a semester filled with ups and downs, and I appreciated your sincerity and honesty at a time when I was struggling with the whole idea of “is graduate school really for me?”

So, friends…do you see a pattern here? There are wonderful human beings who are teachers. They are right here, in southern Illinois. They have helped me in more ways than they may ever know. These teachers have been life savers and life changers.  These folks have given so much of themselves for their students that we should appreciate our teachers EVERY DAY. Not when Facebook or the Internet tells us to do so.

I’m so appreciative of the time, effort, and energy these people put into their classrooms. It takes a lot of work to educate the kids out there (am I old enough to say “the kids?”). Your efforts and your work in my life has made a difference. I’m able to do what I love because of all of you. I appreciate you. I appreciate the lessons you all have taught me, and when I grow up, I want to be a teacher…just like all of you.