Bayville, NY

Teachers Just Don't Know When to Stop

I just returned from my annual summer excursion to New York to visit my parents. They are both in their 80s, so it's not a high speed, action/adventure-filled trip, but I still cherish going every year. Like me, my parents both love to talk. Of course, we talked of many things - books we've been reading, World War II history (Did you know that "Lucky" Luciano got out of prison early because he helped the US during the war?), how their California granddaughters are doing, what we were going to cook for dinner, the Quakers, and many other things. Inevitably though, the talk would turn to my classroom. You see, in addition to all of us being talkers, we have another thing in common - we are all educators. Mom was a middle school French teacher for many years, and Dad taught commercial art at a community college. They both miss being in the classroom, and they love to hear stories about mine - funny, sad, frustrating, you name it. Not only do they enjoy hearing about the time my amazing classroom aide took the blame for a student passing gas to spare the girl embarrassment (see how I managed to sneak both funny and heartwarming in there?), they love to pass on their wisdom, based on their many years of experience, to me. Mom and I talked about revitalizing the way we as a class establish the classroom rules. Dad and I had a great discussion about the power of music for learning. Even though they have both been retired for over a decade, their hearts are still in the classroom. Of course, those discussions about where we were going to buy the local lobster and corn for dinner were pretty sweet too. : )

Quaker Meeting House Garden

Dinner!