Mrs. Holland was a favorite...
Illustration
Mrs. Holland was a favorite teacher at Washington Elementary school for a number of reasons. First of all, she used a lot of affirming language with her third-graders as they learned together. Secondly, she used a healthy sense of humor to mix in with the serious business of learning. Plus, her reading corner always featured, in her words, "a magical trip into another world." Simply put, she made learning exciting and fun for the students.
So, when she announced she would be absent for several weeks while she helped her elderly parents with some medical problems, her students were understandably disappointed.
On her first day away, each child approached the classroom with slumped shoulders and a sad face. But, as they entered the room, a giant clown face grinned at them from the bulletin board with the following words flowing out of his mouth: "You are loved!" On each desk was a funny-looking hat. After all had been seated, the substitute teacher stood up and said, "My name is Mrs. Fogey. I'd like to invite all of you good-looking young people to go on a reading adventure with me. Where we're going requires hats, so put 'em on and let's go!"
Mrs. Holland would still be missed, but Mrs. Fogey was making that absence much more tolerable. Plus, that wonderful process of learning was still taking place.
--Thompson
So, when she announced she would be absent for several weeks while she helped her elderly parents with some medical problems, her students were understandably disappointed.
On her first day away, each child approached the classroom with slumped shoulders and a sad face. But, as they entered the room, a giant clown face grinned at them from the bulletin board with the following words flowing out of his mouth: "You are loved!" On each desk was a funny-looking hat. After all had been seated, the substitute teacher stood up and said, "My name is Mrs. Fogey. I'd like to invite all of you good-looking young people to go on a reading adventure with me. Where we're going requires hats, so put 'em on and let's go!"
Mrs. Holland would still be missed, but Mrs. Fogey was making that absence much more tolerable. Plus, that wonderful process of learning was still taking place.
--Thompson
