A Tiny Silver Pen

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, I would like to thank Mrs. Clark for letting me read ahead in the first grade, Mrs. Brady, who let me read aloud to Ivory, who didn't know how to read yet, to Mr. Wattenbarger, who taught me that nice penmanship just might grab your reader's attention before your words sank in, Mrs. Hardison, who taught me spelling DID count, Mrs. Sanford, who let me check out more than two books at a time in the library, Mrs. Pelster, who taught me that understanding and speaking another language is indeed a beautiful thing, Mrs. Myers, who taught me that solving for x is important and that I WILL use this again, Mr. Nelson for teaching me that while I may occasionally fall in the "sheep dip", I don't have to stay there and Mr. Eugene Wade who not only taught me to balance a checkbook, but that letting your personality shine in whatever you do is a fantastic thing!! I was the student, who, when given my reading book, would come home and read all of the stories the first week, devouring them, not able to wait until we got the them sometime later that year. I was the student, who, when I didn't understand a concept, would most likely shut down until the proverbial light bulb went off over my head and I could see the solution. And while my teachers were engaging and challenging me, the teachers I have to thank the most are my parents. My mom who would let me order books from the Weekly Reader, marking my choices on the little paper form and turning it in to my teacher. My dad who sat with me night after night at the kitchen table while I desperately waited for the light bulb called "Algebra" to come on. And thankfully, one day it did and I never looked back. My parents who would tell me I was ruining my eyes when reading from street light to street light on long car trips, but I didn't and my ares are just fine. My parents who took me to the library and patiently waited while I checked out a huge stack of books and took me back again and again. My parents who still buy me gift certificates to wonderful book stores for Christmas! So, in honor of the teachers at school and the teachers at home, thank you, you may not know if you are making a difference...but you are!!