Mrs. Saunders

"A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image." ~Author Unknown

One of the most fun side effects of planning a wedding I have discovered is reuniting with old friends and family. Yesterday I started to receive the word that our Save the Dates were hitting homes across America. So not only is that great..but I guess this wedding is officially on! Just kidding!!

So yesterday I received the sweetest note on our wedding website from my 4th grade teacher...Mrs. Saunders. She had received my invitation and was excited to hear from me. Little does she know that I could not imagine having this huge life event without her....she is good reason I am the way I am today.

When I was young...let's say between the ages of 8 and 12....I really struggled with my self image. I was short, buck teeth and had glasses thicker than a coke bottle. I hated being me...hated it. At that age all I could see were the pretty girls around me that had none of my flaws and it just did not seem fair. Of course my parents always reassured me that it was just a phase and someday I would have straight teeth and contacts and that this "too shall pass". However when you are 10, your parents aren't exactly the ones you listen to.

I can remember being in Mrs. Saunders class like it was yesterday. She was a young, energetic blonde teacher who always dressed to the nines. She was funny, witty and if you did something wrong (or misbehaved)...she was not afraid to tell you. I LOVED being in her class. I would wait each day for her to tell us a story on her two children (Tommy and Byke). She always had funny stories about them...even disclosing how much Byke loved cheese....really loved it. In fact there were days that the class would beg her to tell a "Byke" story because they were always so funny. At that age I was still such a kid...I played school and I might have even still played with my Barbies...who knows. But I do know that I could remember thinking that someday I wanted to be like Mrs. Saunders.

Perhaps it was the way she took a genuine interest in my family or perhaps it was the way she made me feel when I did something great...but she was always so wonderful to me. One day I can remember her pulling me aside at recess and showing me her childhood yearbooks. She showed me pictures of herself when she was younger (also buck teeth and with glasses). She said that we all grow out of our phases and to not let the teasing or those around me get me down. What a moment. Till this day I can remember that conversation and how it forever changed my life. She saw how I struggled and really reached out to me...and she didn't have to. Which is why I would forever call her a mentor not just a teacher.

So when I see students today I always wonder if they have had a "Mrs. Saunders" in their lives. Teachers to me have the hardest job in the world and are paid so little. But perhaps most of them are not there for the money...they are there for students like me. Students who need more than just the curriculum but compassion and warmth. And if every student would have that experience than perhaps learning would not be so laborious.

I cannot wait to see Mrs. Saunders on my wedding day. I don't think she will ever know the magnitude at which she has effected my life. But perhaps on that day she will discover that the woman I am today....has a lot to do with the little girl she reached out to yesterday.

JAR