Years ago, I met a wonderful teacher that I had the privilege to work with…she was the queen of all that is pink. By that I mean, there was no one ever with a sunnier disposition than she and she wore a lot of pink clothing.
At first I thought her behavior was an act, put on for her role as a teacher but the more I worked and “played” with her, the more I could see that she was authentic. I learned a lot from her as she engaged with students, staff, and parents but my favorite memory (other than the fact that we were both majorettes for a school assembly) was her motto of being “helpful always and leaving things better than when she found them”.
Now this sounds straightforward enough, I assure you, but in practice it was quite a daunting task. Sometimes this involved getting teenagers to clean, strip beds in a hotel, and perform other ungodly teenage tasks. I have to report that not only did she do this effortlessly but she pulled all of the surrounding people into the process. There were times when we were tripping over each other to help. The reason for this is simple: when you meet someone like her and you can bask in her personal sunlight, you just want to that’s all.
One of her talents was her willingness to try whatever was necessary to engage students and make them (all of us) believe in themselves. She was the advisor to student government in a large metropolitan high school as well as a math teacher; a little incongruous perhaps? Her unflappable style, her ability to warm the group she was with, and her undying optimism were her hallmark characteristics.
I found myself unable to say no as the principal (bad situation to be in honestly) but everything she asked for was essential to the growth and development of our students and there was a lot of excitement and entertainment along the way. She encouraged me to be more of myself rather than focus on my work title personality. As a result, I taught Tai Chi to the students; choreographed a jazz number and taught it to over 160 students and then performed this dance for the entire school; dressed like a Hersey Kiss, and, in general, reached into more of who I was as an individual. I found parts of me that I did not know existed.
I was a tough principal, I needed to be, but she found my soft and emotional center and showed me how to display it without compromising my nature. For this I will be forever grateful.
Since it is my policy to never name anyone but immediate family in my blogs, I cannot name this shining star, the queen of pink but I will send this to her and her husband…who also wears pink in a manly manner of course and who also teaches math and is an outstanding human being in his own right; would you expect less?
We need to tell others about the positive influence they have had on our lives. She taught me to be “helpful girl” “the dancing queen” one unafraid to reach deep into my heart and be the person I wanted to be…thanks MT. I know you are enjoying your life… I wear pink now. I’ve earned it and learned it.
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