The week of May 7, 2018, is Teacher Appreciation Week. And, Teacher Appreciation Day is on Tuesday, May 8, 2018.
This past week, our newspaper presented the Golden Apple Award to Ms. Maryellen Dean, a long-time teacher at Rushford-Peterson Schools.
She was nominated by two individuals: a parent and a student. Both nominations were submitted to the Fillmore County Journal with tremendous support for how Ms. Dean has had a positive impact on the lives of so many students over her 38-year career. One nomination was presented in a 3-1/2 page typed document. And, the other nomination was hand-written on 1-1/2 pages by a student. We received many nominations from parents of students, students, and school faculty for teachers from every school district in Fillmore County. I have to say it is a difficult decision to select the Teacher of the Year, because all of these teachers deserved to be recognized. But these two well-written and detailed nominations made the decision undeniable. Ms. Dean deserved to be recognized as the 2018 Fillmore County Teacher of the Year.
My favorite teacher
I think everyone can reflect on teachers who had an impact on their lives. I had many great teachers, but there are a couple that stand out from my early years of learning.
Now, I know that boys are usually always well-behaved. But, as a young boy, I was often asked if I had ants in my pants. And, those ants challenged my attention span. Hence, I got in trouble a lot at an early age.
When I was attending Hawthorne Elementary School in Rochester, Minn., as a kindergartner in Ms. Crouch’s class, I apparently strived to make story time more interactive. Every day, I would somehow smuggle a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car to school in my pocket or backpack for the big reveal during story time. This didn’t go over too well, as I distracted all others from listening during story time. By the end of the school year, I believe that Ms. Crouch had obtained more than 70% of my car collection. And, as much as my parents addressed the issue, I was a slow learner. I was able to get my vehicles back from Ms. Crouch’s impound, but not without a lecture.
In first grade, I met a life-changer. I didn’t bother bringing my vehicles to school anymore. I had other issues. I liked to talk a lot. I still do. But, I had to learn when I could talk and when I couldn’t. Those ants in my pants made me loquacious.
At Hawthorne Elementary School, my first grade teacher was Ms. Agenter. And, I was apparently so chatty that I had to stay after school every day to write on the classroom chalkboards “I will not…” do whatever I was doing that day in class when I wasn’t supposed to be doing it. Note that I said chalkboards. I became a one of the great chalkboard writers of my time. And, our chalkboard erasers were always clean, because that became part of my after school duties. Some days I would have to write what I did wrong hundreds of times and it wouldn’t fit on one chalkboard. My handwriting dominated classroom chalkboards in first grade. And while I was staying after school each day, she would play records on a phonograph. She loved old country western music such as Roy Rogers. So, as I wrote on the chalkboards, I listened.
One day, she brought in an acoustic guitar, and played some country western songs. She was an impressive guitar player.
When my parents met with Ms. Agenter for a parent-teacher conference, they told Ms. Agenter that they appreciated that I was helping her after school with projects but they were wondering if she could send me home right after school each day. That’s when my parents found out that the notes Ms. Agenter was sending home with me to give to my parents were somehow lost in transit. And, the cat was out of the bag.
Now that my parents knew what was up, I had to get my act together. I still had some issues with talking when I wasn’t supposed to, so I’d have to stay after school a few more times after that parent-teacher conference. But, eventually, Ms. Agenter didn’t need to keep me after school each day. I learned when I could talk and when I couldn’t.
I ended up graduating from first grade to move on to second grade. And, I no longer brought small vehicles to school, nor did I talk when I wasn’t supposed to. The ants in my pants were becoming domesticated.
I would still see Ms. Agenter in the hallway. One day, she asked me if I would be interested in participating in the school talent show with her. She wanted to perform a duet with me. She would play her acoustic guitar while I sang “Daddy’s Little Cowboy” by Roy Rogers. With the permission of my parents, I stayed after school and practiced performing that song in her first grade classroom everyday up until we performed in front of the entire school.
I was staying after school, and I wasn’t in trouble.
I remember that day perfectly. She wore a cowboy hat with a red western dress shirt, a black vest, matching black pants, and cowboy boots. I wore a cowboy hat with a red and white checkered western dress shirt, a brown leather vest, matching brown leather chaps, and cowboy boots. We finished in first or second place in the school talent show. I can’t recall for sure. But, I would have never participated in the talent show if Ms. Agenter hadn’t approached me.
Ms. Marlis Mae Agenter passed away on September 27, 2014, and I will never forget her. After first grade, I honestly never got in trouble in any grade that followed. She taught me that not listening to your teacher — not respecting authority — came with consequences.
More than an education
My point with sharing my story about Ms. Agenter is that teachers provide more than an education. They teach us more than mathematics, English, science, reading, and everything else on the curriculum.
Teachers become an extension of the parenting process. They teach us how to be a good person, a good team player, and a good friend.
Our teachers deserve to be recognized. This would be a great week for parents of students to do something special for their teachers.
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