Valerie Willmore: A Short Story

Bound by her own pledge to professionalism in educating the kids she is so blessed to have, Madame shows sign that she might possess human qualities, after all, when she admits that she was inclined to yell at Latoya as she was becoming frustrated on having to repeat herself, consecutively. However, Esme is able to withhold her wit and refrains from doing so as she has vowed to talk and listen privately, as of late. Upon speaking with the student alone in the hall, Latoya calmly informs her that “they are in the shelter this week and [she] must drop her little sister off and take the train over… it takes longer than [expected]” (Codell, 1999). Stepping back a moment to gain perspective, these are fifth graders. The same one where you look forward to daily recess freshly removed from the ideas that the opposite sex have ‘coodies’ and light up sneakers are cool. Remember? Oh, yeah! And you walk your sister to drop her off in the mornings before school and then jump on the inner-city Chicago train to get to school, yourself. As a teacher, you’re taught that your students will live very different lives and of the necessity to make accommodations accordingly. Students’ backgrounds cover a vast spectrum, and in order to achieve equity in your classroom, you must accommodate these students and cater to their specific needs so that, they too, have an

The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.

On September 1, 2012, I walked into my fifth grade teacher’s classroom for the first time in my life. Mrs.Cullen was standing in the front of the door with open arms ready to welcome her new fifth grade students. As I made my way to my desk and sat down next to Charlie Schutt and Quin Timmerman, I got the feeling that middle school would be a time of talking to some of my best friends and cruising through classes. As the school year progressed, and classroom seats changed, my thought of how Middle school would be changed as well. On the first day Mrs.Cullen explained our schedule, Homework detentions, and demerits. After about fifty questions, she sent us off to our first class, and the first step of our Middle School journey. The fifth grade

I have had the pleasure of teaching Fantashia Felder during her sophomore year. It is because of students like Fantashia that I prefer teaching tenth grade over any other. What makes this year so special is that teachers can truly see the transformation of their students from children, to young adults. It's a pivotal moment in a child's life where they must decide if they want to become focused on their academic and professional careers or become super apathetic. Fantashia chose to turn her life around and I am so happy I was able to witness such a beautiful transformation.

The five-minute warning bell goes off. I rush to my first class of my junior year, eager to see my classmates, who I was going to spend the rest of the 9 months with. I find myself stumbling into a classroom plastered with decorations of Denzel Washington with a Dr. Seuss book in his hand, a t and college flags galore. My AP English 11 class suddenly seemed so appealing to me. As a beautiful, curly haired short lady stood in front of me and said “Welcome to AP English 11,” I knew that I had found a treasure so much greater than just a pretty classroom. Little did I know, that short lady was going to inspire me throughout my challenge filled second-to-last year of high school.

Heather Ruha grew up in a “pretty rough” suburb on Chicago’s west border; this background has allowed her to connect with the hardships that her urban students face. Her interest in education was sparked by an incredibly influential teacher’s assistant in one of her classrooms, who Heather described as “giving” but always pushed her to do her best and challenge herself. She graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Psychology. Ms. Ruha has been working in the Kenosha Unified school district since 2006, originally as a teacher in elementary classrooms, until she discovered a true passion for working with middle school students.

This year I had the prestigious honor of being in Ms. Brown’s class, and let me tell you, it was anything but normal. Ms. Brown’s cheerfulness (and maybe a bit of messiness) really helped me realize that teachers actually have lives. They’re not just some robots who are only activated to teach, and then turned off when the class leaves, as much as we might think they are.

In the story “This Year’s Class Picture” there is one character that stands out in and that is Ms. Geiss the determined/dedicated and kind Teacher that cares about all of her students no matter what happens. Her students were zombies and so teaching them was going to be different. She created food called learning rewards which were actually the rest of the staff in the building grinded up into chicken nuggets. She was also so dedicated that she went as far as taking pictures even tho they were all zombies. By her going through all the effort of getting all 23 of the zombie students ready and so called presentable, it shows that she is a very involved and committed to her job of teaching the students that come to her classroom everyday.”””The

It is 9:15 a.m. Tuesday morning, and Brittanee Ramallo walks into an African-American women’s literature class with her khakis, button down shirt, tie and vest on. She may be small in height, but her presence makes up for it.

Over the Fall Break vacation, I decided to conduct my field experience at CC Spaulding Elementary School. I had the opportunity to work with Ms. Sarah Ashley and Mrs. Williams’ Pre-K class. I had previously shadowed with Ms. Ashley, so she was eager to welcome me back. Over the days, I got myself acquainted with her students to make them comfortable with my presence. Luckily, they welcomed me in with no hesitation.

The next stage in Pam’s life was going to university. She decided to do the teaching course because she had hated school so much, and wanted to be a teacher she would have wanted. This was no light endeavour. It is a three-year program. She decided to become a prep teacher, which required another 2-year course. “It was very stressful. When I was a student teacher at a school I was judged quite harshly, and sometimes this was heartbreaking.” After all that training, she got her first job as a prep teacher at Coburg State School.

The first day at my new school was strange. I didn’t know anyone. I went up the creaky staircase to my classroom. My teacher entered the room. The woman’s name was Mrs.son . She was a strange teacher. She almost looked possessed. Her eyes were huge and dark as blood. Her voice was low and mysterious. She gave us a unexplainable item.

Once there was a man who was driving back from work, when he got home, he took a shower and was ready for bed when all of a sudden, he got a phone call. "Antonio, I had an argument with my boyfriend and he kicked me out, do you mind if I crash at your place, you know just until I get my mind together? It's Valerie" Valerie, the last time Antonio talked to her was about two months ago. He has tried to get a hold of her, but she never answered a call or responded to his messages. He was really close to her, they’ve known each other since they were little kids. They went to school together, had every class together and graduated the same year she did. How could he say no to her? He can't. Not to her. They've been through a lot together over the years and despite the fact that she ignored him, he was willing to help her out. "Sure Valerie, you can stay over as long as you need to."

After eleven years of teaching at GCDS, Mrs. Deborah Peart Griffin is leaving Country Day after this school year. Throughout her years at GCDS, Mrs. Griffin continuously displayed humor and enthusiasm while teaching. “Because of my passion for teaching and learning, I deliver lessons with genuine excitement. It's my goal to transfer that love of learning to every student I teach. My reward is smiles and laughter amidst learning, which brings me pure joy.” Mrs. Griffin’s favorite part of GCDS has been “watching fourth graders transform into ninth graders.” Seeing her former students at graduation has always brought tears to her eyes because she “could see the growth that had taken place.” The thought of her shaping a student into a young adult

“Ugh, I really want my own camera,” thought Valerie. Valerie, a tall, athletic beautiful girl with long, straight, silky blonde hair and blue eyes, loved taking pictures. One day, shortly after her 14th birthday, she decided she must have her own camera. She asked her parents for help, but because she was 14, they said no.