I Must Be Getting Old

Because I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on my past lately.

Yesterday I thought it would be fun to look up my old school:
And there it is. Conway Elementary School where I spent second through fifth grade. I remember walking under that awning for the very first time. Just beyond the right side building was the kindergarten area where I would help out in fourth and fifth grade. The library--the FANTASTIC library--was just beyond the shadows on the right. This was another library that I was always excited to go to. There was this cool, round, carpeted area where we would go once a week and the librarian would read us the latest award-winning children's book. I wonder if it's still as exciting to go there as it was when I did. . .

But the main reason to look up that school was to see if my fifth grade teacher was still there. I didn't see her name, so I decided to Google her. And I found her! And she sings in a women's barbershop quartet. A quartet that has won all sorts of awards and is even in the finals for the Oreo jingle contest! How crazy is that!?!

She was my favorite teacher because she actually made us feel like people. And she gave me my first shot at singing in front of people. It was the talent show and I had wanted to be in it sooooo bad! So, even though I didn't know anyone that played piano, I decided to go and sing "Part of This World" (from The Little Mermaid) a capella. I thought I had done pretty well, but I wasn't going to be able to be in it unless there was an accompanyment. And my teacher just volunteered just like that! We practiced a couple of times before the show, and I got to *be* Ariel in front of hundreds of people. I never would have gotten the chance if it hadn't been for her.

She showed me what being a teacher should be. And on career #5 when I was going to be a teacher, she was the model I had in mind. I can only hope that there are more teachers today that really and truly care about their students like she did/does. When I went back to California after my Senior year of high school, my mom and I stopped back at Conway to see if I could visit with my teacher. We went in, and she remembered me! She had thought about me when my friend passed away, and she was genuinely interested in knowing what I'd been up to all these years. It was fantastic!

So, in the hope of reconnecting, I shot off an email to the barbershop quartet's email address. I'm hoping that she still remembers me after all these years and that we can reconnect. Because she's a fantastic person and I would love to know more about what she's been up to lately.

I've also been thinking about the beach. But I think that's just because it's so damn hot and humid here that a dip in the ocean sounds like a little slice of heaven.