Fifty Years Seems Like a Long Time Ago, But...

     Fifty years ago, the week, I experienced major, life-changing trauma.  I was just seven years old.  Fifty years ago, life, as I knew it was forever changed by a single, unexplained jet crash, half way around the world.  Fifty years ago, my father was returning to his base in Thailand, from a routine recognizance mission over Vietnam.  Three miles short of the runway, his plane went down. He was pinned beneath the wreckage. He died instantly.

Enter Maxine Moore. She was my second grade teacher at Hawthorn Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska the time I lost my father.  She saved me with her kindness, compassion, her willingness to go above and beyond to help a broken, sad, and confused little girl.  She was Trauma-Informed and Trauma-Responsive before it was even an initiative in education.  Through her loved and guidance, I was able to heal and get back to some semblance of what life should look like for a sever year-old little girl.

I could tell you that they story stopped at the end of second grade.  It did not.  My mom remarried and we moved a couple of hours away.  Whenever we would go to Lincoln, my mom would make every effort to let me see Mrs. Moore.  We had a connection.   

When I graduated from high school, through the impact teachers like Mrs. Moore and several others, I decided that I wanted to become a teacher, too.  I went back to Lincoln to attend the University of Nebraska.  On many occasions, I would be invited to Mrs. Moore's home, for dinner to chat about college life, and to discuss current trends in education.

Friends! When we talk about the importance of relationships in teaching, Mrs. Moore is the first person who always comes to mind.  I wouldn't be the person I am or the teacher I am had it not been for Mrs. Moore and her love and compassion during the most traumatic time in my life.