K - Mrs. Glenn figured out that when Mom told me whe was going home and would see me when I got off the bus I thought she meant home not the new house (we moved just before school started). She told Mom and they made me understand, so I would stop crying. She also sat down and taught me to read labels for the word peanut. Everthing that I ate, she and I would read the label together.
1st grade Mrs. Mahoney (SP) Kept encouraging me to read, made me feel safe.
2nd Grade Mrs. Blue - I kept insisting I had to finish reading my take home reader in a week. These were old basal readers - huge books with multiple stories. She asked me why - I said there are X on the shelves, so if I read 1 a week in X weeks I'll be finished and you will let me go to the library and get real books instead of those "pretend books". She took the basal from my hands marched me down to the library and loaded up my backpack with books.
4th grade Mrs. P (No idea how to spell her name) Made math come alive. Once a sub when balistic because she kept calling on the boy in the back wearing the red and blue shirt. We finally (after 5 - 10 min) figured out she meant Holly - and the whole class including Holly burst out laughing (Holly had short hair, and me down polo from brother, jeans - teachers called her Allen (old brother's name) frequently. Mrs. P explained that we weren't in trouble and that the sub got mad, because she didn't know Holly and was afraid she had hurt Holly's feelings.
5th Grade Mrs. Lincoln - Taught us more in science that pre-med students learn in university according to the parents who were doctors. She could make number dance and ancient civilizations were living theatre.
Oh each one of these teachers would bring grocery sacks to school, when the book orders came. Then they would either catch Mom, when she volunteered or call her and suggest I be a pick up. Normally I had at least 1 1/2 sacks of books.
