Tell us about a teacher who had a real impact on your life, either for the better or the worse. How is your life different today because of him or her?
This was a no brainer. While I had a lot of favorite teachers over the years, one stands out as the person whose teachings impacted my daily life.
That would have to be my high school Home Ec teacher, Mrs. L.
Learning to cook and sew and run a house may seem old fashioned by today’s standards, but other than the sewing, the skills I learned from this woman are very much in need; not just in my household, but in every household.
The sewing, which I still love to do when I have time, has been a hobby for many years, and I have made a lot of heirlooms and memories, using the skills I learned from my old pal Mrs. L.
On the surface, the science of cooking and the mechanics of sewing seem pretty straight forward. But when you are instructed in these skills by someone who truly loves them, you learn that they both can be an art form, a source of pride, hours of enjoyment just in the act of doing either and you can share those skills with others for a multitude of reasons. Who doesn’t love something you toiled over for hours, days, or even weeks that was made by your hands just for them?
Both can seem like daunting tasks to a beginner, so trial and error, failing and trying again, and practice, practice practice were things Mrs L incorporated into her lessons. Using a quick substitution or other means of problems solving ideas also come in handy in the domestic arts, as well as life in general.
30 years after taking that class, I still use Mrs. L’s lessons every day, and I am still grateful that she was my high school teacher, mentor, and friend.
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I wish the teachers we remember were able to read the nice things we still have to say about them!! If Mrs. L is still around, I do hope she gets to read this lovely tribute.
As far as I know, Mrs. L is still around. Don’t know if she’s on the facebook, but I’ll just have to check on it. Mrs L and I continued to be friends and she attended my graduation, my wedding, and even my parent’s funerals many years later. She’s a very dear lady, who talked many boys and girls a lot of valuable real world skills.
She does sound like a dear lady. Isn’t nice that they become much more than just teachers?
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CHEEKY!!!
I need a button sewn on a pair of pants….HEEELLP!!
Seriously, though, sounds like Mrs. L was awesome. I had a few awesome teachers. A few.
A few. I know that well, most of my teachers were assholes. Ha ha
I had a handful of those as well.
Kids these days don’t learn any of this useful stuff. My mom taught all the boys to sew and cook and wash our clothes.
My number one teacher was Dr. E. Richard Brown, who was my mentor and inspiration throughout graduate school. I worked with him for twelve years before he passed away last April, and I miss him immensely. His influence is in everything I do as a health policy professor, and as an advocate for justice through proactive public policies.
I have been blessed, though, with many wonderful teachers throughout my life, and they all had lessons I take with me.
That’s the mark of a good teacher, isn’t it? Someone who teaches things that we carry with us through life. Ones who are fondly remembered and missed.
I’m pretty sure my high school did have Home Ec classes, but I steered cleared of them, though I completely agree it is important knowledge for everyone to have. I had already learned most of those skills either at home or through scouting. Give me a fire and a pan and I can cook you a gourmet feast while patching up your travel gear.
Always lucjy when we get a teacher who goes above and beyond the normal duties.
Do you still ever show her what you made and see her grading it in her head?
I really wanted to show her my wedding dress that I made, but was so busy trying to get it done, I never had a chance. We still live in the same town, and I think she still lives in the same house that she used to. I even used to go over there and get a few private cooking lessons. I think I’ll send her a card with a wedding picture in it and thank her for making my dream dress a reality. I really should do that. Thanks for reminding me.
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I’m a great cook now, but I remember a home-ec class where we split into cooking groups, and it was my job to copy and write the recipe down for Boston Creme Pie. I accidentally transposed the numbers for the sugar and the flour, and let’s just say I was pretty unpopular when our cake fell. LOL
Oh my gosh! That’s awful! That must have been pretty dreadful. I’ll bet that only happened once.
Yes – they never allowed me to write the recipes again, which was what I wanted all along. Who wants to write the recipes, when you could actually be doing the cooking?
Yeah really. Does your Word Press look all weird again? Mine does, just started a couple of hours ago. Grrrrr!!!!
What a lovely tribute to your Home Ec teacher! I took Home Ec, too, and I am so glad of all of the things I learned in there! You need to send this to her – I am sure she would be so happy. As a high school teacher, I sometimes get cards/messages from former students. It makes it all worthwhile.
She’s pretty special. I just might have to do that. Good teachers can really mean a lot in a child’s life. Thanks for all you do!
Teachers are never bad;they teach us something useful,albeit we understand it years later……
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