He was “that teacher” for many
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
What a trip! I wanted to share this with those of you who had read my tribute to my favorite teacher, Mr. Stangvik. I just received this via Facebook from an old classmate I haven’t seen since 1984:
Not sure if you remember me, we were in Mr. Stangvik’s class together. I stumbled across your blog last weekend. I had a dream I looked at my kid’s Seattle public school calendar (I have a boy in kindergarten) and saw it was Palmer Stangvik day. When I woke up I realized that my subconscious was reminding me that the anniversary of his passing is coming up. There is, in fact, no Palmer Stangvik holiday (yet). Anyway, I felt a bit choked up when I woke up and looked up his name on Google and found your blog. I was glad to see you got to spend some time with him as an adult. I haven’t seen him since I was a kid. When I tried to look him up, it was unfortunately too late.
He was *that* teacher for me too. I’ll probably leave some flowers at the playground, “Palmer’s Playground” as it’s known now, on Sunday.
I created a group in his memory, but I haven’t really been very proactive with it:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=118399347239
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I’m starting to think Mr. S is connecting us! How very wonderful.
Believe it or not, on a fluke, I found my 6th grade class picture from Coe Elementary on Queen Anne in Seattle. Mr. Stangvik is the guy with the beard on the left behind orange jacket man (our principal). I’m the frightening looking gal up top right with glasses…yikes!
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I got an email from a former student of mine (‘used to teach 5th and 6th way back) and she told me what a difference I made in her life. Warmed my heart to the tippy top. There are times when I’m standing in the midst of K and R’s classes and I have a teeny-weeny twinge of wanting to teach again…but then it goes away. I’m so glad that I got to experience it for a little while. I think I would be a different teacher now that I have kids. I believe it takes a teacher/parent to understand a parent’s worries and stresses about their kids completely.
How is it for you lovelies? Do you enjoy being in your kids’ rooms, if you go? I can handle it for about an hour and a half and then I’m ready to bug out. Something about letting my kids do their thing without me watching.
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So glad to have someone else bring up Mr. S for me…obviously a bright spot in my life…something to be truly thankful for.
OX.
