My first crush was my 8th
grade teacher at Anderson Elementary School, Mrs. Hamilton. I think her full
name was Maureen Hamilton, but I knew her only as Mrs. Hamilton or “teacher.”
Mrs. Hamilton was tall, thin and wore a cool shag haircut and great wedge
shoes. I was the chubby, lonely, awkward new girl. Eighth grade can be a tough
age for many girls—for me it was the year I suddenly had to carry a purse one
week a month.
Mrs. Hamilton was not only pretty and
cool, but she was also kind. She ate her healthy lunch of carrot and celery
sticks at her desk and welcomed her students to eat lunch in the classroom too.
That made it a safe space for me. She also was passionate about the daily
pledge of allegiance. She often got teary while reciting the pledge, explaining
that members of her family served in the military. She taught me to treat the
pledge with the same reverence—and I still do today.
In eighth grade, we explored careers.
I thought I might like to be a reporter, a travel agent, or a florist. I am
unsure where “florist” came from! Tony and I did end up spending our life
together traveling and I did become a journalist. I credit Mrs. Hamilton with
the start of that journey.
My love of journalism continued at
Anderson Union High School with my second teacher “girl crush.” Connie Chrysler
was my Spanish and Journalism teacher. She was young and fun—at the time I had
no idea just how young! Mrs. Chrysler celebrated her 70th birthday
earlier this year, making her exactly 10 years older than me.
Mrs. Chrysler was a dedicated,
enthusiastic teacher who worked at our small local paper the summer before she
began teaching journalism. This was in the days of no computers. We used light
tables, exacto knives, and rubber cement. Under Mrs. C’s leadership, our
newspaper (and several of its reporters) won awards. Working on the High
Views was a highlight of my high school years.
Mrs. Chrysler took her students on
adventures, which was especially important because many in our little town
rarely traveled anywhere (including me!). She took the Spanish Club to Lake
Almanor for a weekend, bravely took the Journalism class to San Francisco, and
even took a group cross country skiing. I had never been before. I have a memory
of knocking her down in the snow after sliding into her. I was not a natural
ski bunny (surprise!!). My walk down memory lane led me to contact Mrs. Chrysler
to let her know what she meant to me. We shared messages via Facebook and reminisced
about those long-ago years. Her memory of the skiing trip was that she had
never cross country skied before either and made the mistake of wearing brand
new jeans that left the snow blue on her frequent falls.
I had other terrific teachers, but
most of them are “teacher blurs.” I remember things they said or things that
happened in their classrooms, but I don’t clearly remember THEM. If you have
someone who impacted your life in a positive way, I strongly encourage you to
tell them. I believe we should “eulogize” people while they are still breathing
and can appreciate our words. It feels good to spread genuine compliments.
But, Wait!! There’s More…
I had planned to blog more frequently
this year, but life threw me a curveball. My new hip I got in January this year
is already breaking up with me. Next week I will have it removed while my
doctors work to cure the infection I have had for four months. Once cured, I
will get a new hip. This medical saga has curtailed the plans Tony and I had
for this year, but it has offered lessons too—including not to take one day for
granted. I wish you health and happiness. I will join you on the dance floor
soon!
PS Taking these goofy photos with an old copy of High Views made me smile, gave me another opportunity to wear my tiara, and reminded me that I am a bit of a hoarder!