John's mom was a teacher for 31 years. Most of those years were in rural schools around here. This was the '56-'57 school year. Jane knew when she was 5 or 6 that she wanted to be a teacher. Her mother and grandmother had both been teachers. One particular teacher she had in grade school (her favorite) made her fully convinced that what she wanted to be. She remembered her as being fair and treating all the kids alike and she was a good teacher. One of her biggest challenges in the winter at one school was to clear a path to the girls' outhouse after a snowstorm. It was at the top of a hill and she would wear overshoes and push a path with her feet.
I know a huge amount of her students liked her. She was constantly running into former students who would recognize her and tell her how much they liked her. If a kid can remember what grade they were in when they had you as a teacher, that's a sign to me that she made an impression. I only remember 2 from my past and what grade I was in. Mrs. Snodgrass--2nd grade (she was BEAUTIFUL) and Mrs. Foss-6th grade. Last month when I took Jane to the clinic for her blood test, she was chatting with a gal at the desk who told me Jane had been her teacher. As we were walking away, Jane said(much too loudly), "She was pretty naughty".
