Tuesday, December 06, 2011

A Sad Goodbye


                           

          Today we found out that a beloved teacher of our school passed away after a long fight with cancer.

          To say that this Teacher was special is an understatement. Every year when parents found out that their kids were going to be in her class a giant sigh of relief was heard.


My own daughter was lucky enough to be in her class. At the beginning of that school year my husband and I went to open school night. One of the first things this teacher said was "I love to teach. I love teaching the fourth grade." she said this with a huge smile and eagerness. It was infectious. she then told us how she would push and challenge our kids to learn, but that they would have a great time doing so.


They did.


This teacher quickly became my Daughter's favorite teacher.


This teacher was patient and kind and opened new worlds for the children. She was excited to teach which in turn made the kids excited to learn. There was something about her that made you strive to try harder and do better. The kids wanted to do well at first for her because she expected them to always try their best, but then they did well because they wanted to learn. They wanted to explore and soon discovered that they did indeed love science and math. They wanted to do better because she made it fun for them.


At the end of the year the kids were sad to leave, and she was sad too, but she was excited for them to continue their journey. She was always interested  and overjoyed to hear of their successes. This year many of her old students were inducted into the Junior Honor Society ( my own J included). She would have been so proud.

Once in a life time one comes across a teacher that we remember forever. She was that teacher for these kids. Teaching was what she was meant to do. She was the absolute best at it.

Today my kids were told of her passing. They came home with heavy hearts.

Tonight at dinner we prayed for her family asking God to comfort them in what is certainly the worst time of their lives.

As I write this I feel that we should not think of how she left this world but celebrate this wonderful woman's life. We should give thanks that she chose to teach and entered our children's lives; and because of her their lives were enriched, and blest for having known her.

 Dear Sweet Teacher, As you fly with the angels we know you take the children's love and ours with you. We will miss you so much. The Children you taught will always have a part of you with them.





You can rest now Mrs. N.  ... the kids you loved and who love you will take it from here.

17 comments:

  1. I'm sorry Joanne. What nice words you wrote here in her rememberance. It's good to know we'll all meet up again one day:)

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  2. @ Ma- thank you, she was a very very special teacher.

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  3. You wrote a beautiful tribute for a much loved lady.

    I had a teacher like that once, in the 5th grade about 100 years ago. I will never forget her face or her name. For a person to affect so many people they have to be very special and your teacher was.

    My deepest sympathy.

    Hugs,
    Beth

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  4. Keeping her family in my prayers. ((HUGS)) to you.

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  5. I'm so sorry. She sounds like a rare human being, and someone who made a huge difference in her students' lives.

    xo
    Claudia

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  6. What a nice tribute.. there are lots of teachers in the world .. but only a few we truly remember and only a handful.... we never want to lose or forget...

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  7. Greetings From Southern California

    It sounds like Mrs. N left quite a (good) legacy. Sadly, good teachers are few and far between nowadays :-(

    Thanks for your recent visit to My Blog

    Have a Nice Day :-)

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  8. I am so very sorry to hear this...we all have wonderful memories of a special teacher, and she certainly left her mark on many children and on the world, all these people will be wonderful adults for having had her as their teacher!! You scared me for a minute, I saw your title and thought you were quitting blogging!

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  9. @ Beth~ She was very loved and admired.

    @ Debby@Just Breathe~ Thank You I know they will need lots of prayers

    @ Claudia~ Yes she was.

    @ Nf1andprek-whisper~ You are right about that!

    @ Ginny~ Yes, I only hope she knew how special she truly was

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  10. I am so sorry for your loss as well as your children and her students and family. My prayers are with you all. Thank God for good teachers.

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  11. I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your beloved teacher. I often think of heaven and the joy of never being separated from those we love. *sigh*

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  12. Oh, such a sweet tribute. I have heard of fav. teachers of mine passing away, and felt the joy of their classrooms. She will be missed.

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  13. What a beautiful post to what sounds like an amazing person that touched many lives!!

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  14. You expressed so well how special teachers can affect her students, etc....Nice tribute

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  15. A sad loss for all of us. We could use more teachers with this kind of respect and dedication for the profession.


    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  16. What a wonderful tribute Joanne. You can always tell whether or not a teacher loves to teach. I had a special 4th grade teacher I loved like your girls did her. One of my youngest daughters grade school teachers came and watched her play soccer when she was older. God bless wonderful teachers!

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  17. So deeply sorry for your loss. Not just yours, but a whole school community's. Teachers can make such a positive impact on young lives if they so choose. Glad your daughter had the chance to shine a bit brighter because of this woman's kind influence. Makes a parent's heart smile when someone else sees the potential we see in our precious ones and takes the time to nurture and encourage them along the way.

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