Many years ago, my 4th grade teacher read a poem to us. It was on March 31st, and the title of the poem was “The Day Before April.”
It was a terribly sentimental poem (and as a poet myself, I now shudder to think of the poem itself), but our teacher’s message was profound:
Wherever we go, whenever we think of this, remember a time when we were cared for.
Many years have gone by and I don’t always remember “the day before April” lesson, but sometimes, I do.
And I pause and remember the lesson of a wise 4th grade teacher: education is about more than reading and writing. When we deal with people, sometimes we need to stop and remind them: we care about each other.
I know his words have influenced my teaching style, my working style–it’s a rare friend or class that doesn’t know I care about them. Perhaps to a fault, I know the message is a strong message: working with people means you must keep the personable in the job.
This year, it is raining on March 31st, a cool and gloomy day.
But I am on spring break, a teacher myself, and thinking of wise, kind Mr. W. and his lesson on love: stop sometimes and remember this day, this moment, that we cared about each other.
Thank you, Mr. W.
Laura Lee 