“My Favorite Teaching Moment”

On May 1, 2001 I received a message in my school mailbox that said “Cortney’s mom died.”  I hadn’t even known that her mother had been sick (she had cancer).  I tried to be there as much as possible for her during that time. She was only six years old.  On May 22, 2001 we had our award’s ceremony for first graders.  Many families of my students were there.  They sang and performed the song “That’s What Friends Are For”.  After the ceremony everyone went around to show their families their awards.  Cortney, rightfully, became sad because her mother was not there.  She stayed close by my side. I don’t know why it happened, but this video shows what I was moved to do.

(Click on the photo to watch the video of my favorite teaching moment!)

*“That’s What Friends Are For” has become one of my most memorable songs. I was honored to be able to be there for Cortney.  The ironic thing, though, is that I was absent the next day (May 23, 2001).  That is the day I was in the hospital and had to tell my mother that she had been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.  I was devastated. Although I didn’t want to return to school the next day, it was the last day of school and I felt I owed it to my students. I returned to school on May 24 and the happiness and smile that usually existed was far from present.  The ONE THING that got me through that day was my students making a circle around me and singing “That’s What Friends Are For”.

Teaching is so much more than lessons in a book.  It’s about making a difference. It’s a hard job, but it’s also a very rewarding job.  Until you lives in the shoes of a teacher you will never know the joys of learning, the fear of failure and the potential to mold our future.  Please take the time to thank each and every teacher you know!

M.Y. August 2007