On September 19, 1968 my father;s plane went down just three miles short of the runway in Ubon, Thailand, where he was flying missions over Vietnam. He was killed instantly. I was seven years old. I can honestly say that this tragic event has defined my entire life.
I had an amazing second grade teacher, Mr,, Maxine Moore, who went above and beyond to comfort a sad, scared, confused little girl navigate some really hard emotions. She allowed me to come into the classroom before the rest of the class to "help" her get ready in the mornings for as long as I needed to.
We stayed in touch with her, even after my mom remarried and we moved a couple of hours away, meeting up with her any time we came to town. She came to my high school graduation! When I went to college, it was back in the city where Mrs. Moore lived. She invited me over to escape the craziness of dorm life, to talk about trends in education, and even for Sunday dinner if I didn't go home for the weekend. She taught me about how important relationships are when you're a teacher.
That's why I can say my father's death defined my entire life. I try my best, every day, to emulate the kind of relationship that Mrs. Moore showed me. I feel that the relationships that I have with my students, and their families, are the key ingredient to my forty-year teaching career. If it weren't for Mrs. Moore's love and kindness, I don't even know if I would have become a teacher. I am grateful to her every single day.
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