Thursday Thunks

Thursday Thunks 9.4

Welcome to the Thursday Thunks! Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!

This week we will answer:

Since this is the week that most kids go back to school... I know some of you are last week or last month, but this is my meme and my demons went back this week... so there! LOL
This week lets think back to our school days... way back in time. Pick a teacher and tell us about them. Were they your favorite? Your least favorite? Something spectacular happen to them while you were in school? Whatever the reason is that that particular teacher just popped into your head - tell us about it.

This one is easy for me. I had a couple but Mr Barrett was the best. I went to a different school for 5th grade, left behind all my friends that I had been going to school with since Kindergarten. So I was nervous. The first day of school we didn't know who our teachers were. The school was relatively small. Only had 4th through 6th grades. I remember sitting in a big room with all the other students and all the teachers were up front.

Mr Barrett was a chatty guy. Very animated. Engaging is a good word to describe him. He scared me. I saw him and instantly knew I was going to be in his class and knew he was going to not let me be my usual wall flower, quiet as a church mouse self. I was intimidated by his outgoingness.

But as the year went on I got used to him. And he did draw me out...at least as much as I would allow. His fiance would come into class sometimes and she would go on field trips with us. The whole class loved her. We were all sad when they got married that year and we had a substitute for a couple weeks. I remember soo much from that year because of him. And not just school stuff. That was the year the Challenger Shuttle exploded, I remember what I wore for school pictures, not because I have a picture because I don't. I remember waking up that morning and being excited it was picture day. I remember I went to Canada the summer before because Mr Barrett took the time to look at all my photos with me and listened as I explained each one.

That year was one of his first few teaching. Any student would be privileged to have him as a teacher. And as luck would have it my own daughter, Paige, is one of the privileged. Mr Barrett was her 6th grade teacher. I saw her come out of her shell a little more that year. I saw her grow more as a person and in confidence that year then any other year before and since.

Having 2 kids still attending that school I still see him frequently. He always has something good to say. Just last week at Meet The Teacher night at school we were in his class and he was greeting a couple new students that were new to the school. He was telling them and their parents what they could expect from him. He told them he was fair but firm and fun. Then he pointed to me and said I was one of his students and asked if I agreed. "Absolutely". Paige was the first student he had that was a child of a former student. He said I made him feel old. I always joke and say "well, you are old".