The Fourth Grade

I know it is an over used phase but this morning while talking to my daughter I was for some reason reminded of how a teacher can make a difference in a child’s life.  Kim was born in December and so was always the youngest in her class.  At times we thought that perhaps it would have been better for her if she had been held back a year.  She was our second child.  She was unfortunate to have an older brother who was one of those kids who was often described as brilliant by his teachers.  While he was always near the top of his class Kim started her student career near the other end.  Each year of school she would improve slightly, but never at her brother’s level.

Then came Mrs. Douglas and the fourth grade.  Mrs. Douglas has a gift for making children believe in themselves.  At some point during the year her class was doing a small in-class play on the story of Jackie Robinson.  I remember shaking my head when my daughter told me that she wanted to try for the part of Jackie Robinson.  At the time I really didn’t pay any more attention to it. 

Yes, she did get the part.  Later I remember her telling me that she was nervous about her part in the play and worried about memorizing her lines (all of five or six them).  I didn’t see it as a portent at the time, but even at that young age she was wise enough to know that I was a zero at sports trivia and went to her brother for her facts.  The big day came and went without incident; she had remembered her lines and was happy with her performance. 

What my daughter learned in her year with Mrs. Douglas was that if there was no one to tell you that you accomplish something, you would never know it.  She learned not to let others define her or set limits on what she could try.  Her confidence grew daily as did her marks in school. 

Kim graduated high school, the vice-president of her class, was accepted in the US Air Force Academy where she graduated in the top 25%.  Last fall she began pilot training.  This morning she called and I sat listening to her tell me that she was ‘getting very good at pulling her plane of a spin’ and was that she was practicing recovering from in-flight engine stalls and emergency landings.  As I sat there listening to her I of thought a skinny little girl, Mrs. Douglas and Jackie Robinson.