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When we were kids, my mom used to tell us the story of the goldfish bowl. Filled with the most beautiful stones—-smooth and round and shiny in the sun—the goldfish bowl became one of my mother’s favorite things about kindergarten. But one of her teacher’s rules was that the children must never touch the goldfish bowl or the stones inside it. My mother was bursting to be the best student she could be. Mrs. Ingalls’ classroom was a place where she felt herself waking up and becoming someone new. She really wanted to listen to all the rules. Sometimes curious little girls forget.
One day, my mother stood transfixed by the goldfish bowl as the afternoon light spilled through the window. Her little hand went over the edge and felt the smooth, round stones inside. Mrs. Ingalls saw what was happening from across the room and gently reminded my mother of the rule. Embarrassed to be caught with her hand in the goldfish bowl, my mother jerked her hand out too quickly and the bowl broke. The ensuing mess was more proof of her shame and failure, but Mrs. Ingalls was kind. She didn’t yell or make my mother an example to rest of the class. Mrs. Ingalls did however hold my mother accountable. “Peggy, you need to fix this. I know you can do it. I believe in you.”
My mother grew up poor in Baltimore City. My grandmother was not nearly so kind or forgiving or patient when my mother told the story of what she had done and what she still needed to do. They found the money to buy a new goldfish bowl somehow and my mother remembers to this day the long walk to Woolworth’s with her mother. She remembers even better taking the new goldfish bowl to Mrs. Ingalls.
“Thank you, Peggy. I knew you could do it.”
“The Goldfish Bowl” became one of our family stories because that was the moment my mother decided to become a kindergarten teacher. That very day, my little five year old mother decided her life plan: to teach young children and be like Mrs. Ingalls. My mother followed that plan for over 25 years even after taking a break to be home with us for awhile.
Now she’s filing her lesson plans, clapping her erasers, turning out the lights, and closing the door behind her. My mother is moving on to the next chapter of her life; one that will be populated with time at her beloved shore house, time with those she loves, and, of course, time with young children. Because teachers never really stop teaching.
She just can’t help herself. These notes are posted everywhere in the shore house. And we love that the eating instructions are in the bathroom. Sort of Circle of Life-ish in a digestion sort of way.
So Mrs. Ingalls, thank you for inspiring my mother to be her very best self from the beginning. My mother is such a gift of warmth and humor and generosity not just to her own children but to the countless young minds she touched over her long, successful career.
Thank you for showing my mother that teaching is an art and not just a science. In a world gone common core, we sometimes forget how important the teacher as a person is to the successful student equation.
Thank you for being an old school teacher who expected great things from even your youngest students. One of the things that people always say about my mother’s teaching is that they can tell her class by the way they walk down the hall. Even the smallest moments are opportunities to shine and my mother learned that from you.
Lastly, Mrs. Ingalls, thank you for showing us all that teachers are so much more than their lesson plans. As a teacher myself now, it has made all the difference.
And now you can thank your teacher for making a difference in your life. First, watch the following video.
Then enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $50 AMEX card for yourself and a $100 Staples gift card for your favorite teacher. There’s honestly no better way to honor a special teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week than to tell them what makes them so special.
Just leave a blog comment briefly telling us about your favorite teacher and why.
We all have a goldfish bowl story to tell, let’s hear yours!
#ThankATeacher today.
(And thank YOU for all of your stories!)
-Erin and Ellen
This post is sponsored by Kronos Incorporated. You can thank them for the chance to win the fabulous gift cards. Obviously, all opinions and love/admiration/adoration for teachers is all our own.
