Ivy

Ivy's opinions, part II
2005-10-21 23:32:10 (UTC)

Remembering Mrs. Potter

While getting ready for work today, I put in a DVD of the
Simpson’s 2nd season and the first story that came up was
titled, “Lisa’s Substitute.” The story was about how much
this wandering substitute turned out to be the best teacher
she had and how much he touched her life, teaching her that
there is a place where her intelligence is an asset and not
a liability. The greatest lesson she learned, when asked by
a perplexed teacher, what the children were taught while
she was gone, was to take life by the horns.

With that I remembered Mrs. Potter in fifth grade. Nadine
Potter was the first teacher I ever had that seriously
cared about her students. I remember calls to the families
of students that were not getting the greatest of grades in
school. There were constant reminders of dreams to be
reached and hopes to nurture. There were constant praises
for the kids and gentle, yet firm reprimands if we were out
of place. She took the time to set a separate group of kids
whom she thought were above average. Thing is, some of
these kids were not getting the sort of marks to belong to
this group. Mrs. Potter knew that they were simply bored
with the lesson plans and they were capable of more, if
given the chance. She championed aptitude tests to ensure
that no one was left behind the cracks.

When I transferred to Sylvandale in 7th grade, I lost track
of Mrs. Potter. There were other enviable activities to do
such as sneaking out by the creek at school to explore this
new area. Slowly, Mrs. Potter faded into memory.

One day, while talking to Le Thi, I found out that she too,
wanted to see how Mrs. Potter was doing. From her house, we
walked to the elementary school. We played in the swings
for awhile and tried to do cherry pops on the single monkey
bars, maybe because we didn’t know either how to approach
the situation or were scared. When we did decide to walk
towards the rooms, I peeked inside to see if the schematic
of furniture and décor was the same as my memory. Other
some new posters, it looked the same, down to the old
alphabets across the top of the board.

We walked to the office to inquire where we may find Mrs.
Potter so we can tell her how much she meant in our young
lives. The lady by the counter looked at us as if she was
confused, took a moment to think and told us that Mrs.
Nadine Potter was no longer Mrs. Potter as she had
remarried and that she passed away.

I remember walking out with Le Thi and thinking how it must
be for her husband to lose such an amazing woman. It didn’t
occur to me, until I saw “The Simpsons” today that it
wasn’t just her husband that lost her but Le Thi and I as
well and all the students that she touched.

And so, my shout outs to Mrs. Potter: For the woman who
believed her students from East Side San Jose could do
better than the statistics they were given.

Shout outs to Mrs. Sundquist in 7th grade for reading “The
Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: Thank you for sharing
fantasy, imagination and the tools to give them voice
through literature, the written word.

Shout outs to Mr. Fancher for giving me my first copy
of “On The Road” by Kerouak and other pieces by Ginsberg.
He wanted us to know what other possibilities are out there
and the freedom to do what calls to our souls.

Shout outs to Mrs. Shimizu: Thank you for sponsoring me to
CSSSA. I never had a chance to tell you how grateful I am.
Because of you and Mr. Fancher, I was exposed to
individuals who heard the beat of a different drum and gave
it a voice.

Shout out to a Filipino English teacher I had in high
school for playing jazz during class time. You’ve taught me
to appreciate the nuances in music.

Last but never least, shout out to the two teachers that
taught me the most out of life, mom and dad: You’ve shown
me how to use the tools provided above. I see how grateful
your students are when they meet you in the street or at
parties.

To all the people who took the time to mold me, provide
options that were not meant for somebody like me, for those
who opened closed doors, thank you. For someone that’s
underpaid by the state, you’ve given me and others who look
to you for guidance, something priceless.

Ivy Penaredondo 07/19/05




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