Ms. Hardison was one of my favorite teachers.
Not because I remember a specific lesson she taught,
But because I remember who she was.
She wasn’t just a teacher, she had a life and interest
outside the classroom…
And she shared it with us.
- She was only 24 years old and 5’4. (I asked and she told me!)
- Her boyfriend was tall and had a beard. (He would send flowers)
- She lived in a trailer home. (She took groups of us there to bake goodies for the class.)
- Her parents had a swimming pool. (We went there for a 6th grade swim party)
- She was a hippie. (At least that’s what my best friend Susan suspected)
“Effective teachers know the students they teach.” – from a
teaching standard somewhere.
I have never been the kind of teacher to keep my life and
who I am separate from the classroom.
I want to know who my students are, where they come from,
things they enjoy, their fears, and challenges. How can you find out who they are if they don’t
know who you are?
I always look forward to sharing my passions with students each year. I want them to know who I am, so they will let me know who they are. I'd like to think if you ask my former students what you remember about your teacher they would say...
-she does fun things with her family
-she has boys that drive her crazy at home
-she teaches art every week
-she goes to a lot of Dodger games
-she really likes Broadway musicals
-she is a big fan of Mo Willems and Keiko Kasha
-she eats dinner out a lot
-she travels to different places
-and she really loves us
And many of them seem to always say, "making fudge." -go figure!
Visiting The Los Angeles County Art Museum because if you study art periods, you should be able to see some of the actual art in those periods! Van Gogh, Picasso, and Da Vinci were favorites.
Creating a city that includes Dodger Stadium and a place for Mike Piazza to park!
Exploring Downtown Los Angeles, where I lived at the time!
Lion King with your teacher's family,
and asking the Phantom how he disappears into his chair.
Meeting Chris Raschka and Brian Pinkney
Meeting Mo!
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