Celebrating Teachers

As a student, I always enjoyed my science classes, but it was my 12^th grade English teacher, Miss Campbell, that inspired me to think differently about a subject I initially did not enjoy.  Miss Campbell had such a passion for English, particularly English literature, that she made learning both interesting and engaging.  She would often read classics like Chaucer, in Middle English, which gave me a new appreciation for the subject as well as her ability as an educator.   Her enthusiasm was contagious and because of her, I gained the knowledge to think creatively and enjoy subjects beyond the world of science.

Many teachers have influenced me and inspired me over the years.  But if I were to choose just one who had an impact on my teaching philosophy, love for learning and my feelings about the power of teachers to affect lives, it would be my junior high English/Language Arts teacher Betsy Travis.  Mrs. Travis was an expert and enthusiast of classic literature and exposed me to the works of Chaucer, Homer, and Shakespeare before I was thirteen years old.

My mother, a native of Sussex, England and teacher herself, idolized Betsy Travis and when I would complain about the hard work she would tell me how lucky I was to have a teacher like Mrs. Travis.  It would take many years before I would see how Mrs. Travis and her high expectations influenced me.

One Christmas my mother wanted to do something really special for Mrs. Travis.  My mother was an artist and wanted to do more than buy the traditional ?apple mug?  She selected a poem, ?A Robin Sang in England?, copied the poem in calligraphy,(ink and quill pen- no markers) added art work and then framed the art.  Mrs. Travis loved the gift. The poem resonated with her and she was touched by my mother?s sentiment. 

The following April I showed up to school and to Mrs. Travis? class with a tear stained face and on the verge of hysterics.  When Mrs. Travis asked me what was wrong, I told her that I thought my mother had died that morning.  My mother had a heart attack before school that day.  My father rode in the ambulance with her and I didn?t know what to do.  I walked to school and straight to Mrs. Travis.  Within an hour my father showed up and took me home.  Our worst fears were realized. My mother was gone.

I don?t remember the next year very well.  I know that Mrs. Travis was there for me and supported me but it is all a blur.  I was fourteen years old.  Fast forward to 1994. I was 30 years old and pregnant with my first daughter, Halle.  A group of women from my hometown, friends of my mothers, threw me a baby shower.  I walked in and sitting front and center was Betsy Travis.  I was so thrilled to see her and to share with  her that I was a teacher!  The day was perfect.  We laughed, told stories, had cake and then we opened presents.  I couldn?t speak when I opened Mrs. Travis? gift?it was my mother?s framed poem, ?A Robin Sang in England? and with the poem was a card that read:

Dear Baby Girl Mangrum,

Your grandmother Robinson was a very dear person loved by everyone who knew her.  When I had the privilege to be one of your mother?s teachers, your grandmother did two pieces of art for her to give to me as a gift.  Today, on this special occasion, I want to share with you one of those precious gifts.  May you treasure it as I have these many years.  The robin is a symbol of spring- a new awakening.

With much love,

Betsy Travis

            Teachers touch us, inspire us, love us and care for us.  I have been blessed to have teachers who acknowledged the person I was and helped shape the person I would become.  In memory of my mother and my beloved former teacher, Betsy Travis, I share this story and hope that it inspires my students to be teachers who make a difference in the lives of their students.  I hope that I have made a difference as well.