Personal Childhood Web

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PERSONAL CHILDHOOD WEB

I was loved and cared for by my mother. My mother taught me to be strong, persistent, and determined. I admired my mother's strength and courage during times of adversity. She made me feel special when I saw her go out of her way to do things for me even against her better judgment. My mother had a way of making holidays feel magical. She would make everything so festive and exciting. Although I no longer celebrate holidays, I definitely have gained from her the value of making events and occasions special and meaningful. I learned from my mother how to be the first, best, and last advocate for my children. She taught me morals and integrity. She taught me the importance of taking good care of myself, my home, and my family.

My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Jasper

made me feel unique.

She encouraged me to

challenge myself

to reach for the unreachable

and she always

made me feel smart.

Mrs. Jasper taught me the

importance of womanhood

and the true meaning of pride.

She built up my self-esteem by

always complimenting me

and making me feel as if

she needed me in her class.

She was strong, powerful, and loud.

I still quote her in the classroom,"We

can all sing together, but we can't all

talk together."  I was also taught by her daughter, Miss Jasper, in the fourth grade.  She was exactly like her mother.  They were both tough, firm, but they wanted us to be the best and they challenged us every step of the way.  These two women were strong, proud black women. They wore their culture on their sleeves--they walked the walk and talked the talk!

My 7th grade teacher, Mr. Dillard

Here is a recent picture of him. Older,

grayer, and a defrocked priest.  i remember him

for the teacher he was and his impact on my life.

I didn't see myself as a leader

I didn't see myself as one of

the "smart" kids.

I didn't see myself as extraordinary.

But Mr. Dillard did.

He pushed and pushed and pushed.

He knew exactly what I was capable

of and he was always right there.

His belief in me made me the kind of teacher

who knows her students and provides

opportunities for them to grow and shine.

My 9th-12th grade teacher, Sr. Amelia

was one tough cookie.

She stayed on me for four straight

years. Like every teacher before her

she took an immediate liking to me and

then quickly became an additional

parent. Like every teacher before her

she fussed at me about not putting forth more

effort. I figured as long as I was making A's

what more did she need or want from me?

She wanted me to challenge myself

She wanted me to set goals and then set more

goals. She encouraged me to take risks and

learn from my mistakes. She was always there

for me. She had a steady hand in my development

during my teen years and I have never forgotten

the drive she instilled in me and the way she

made me feel like I could do anything.

My Dad

Divorce was hard.  I knew it was for the best, but I still had that fairy tale image of family and

kept hoping the two adults would "see the light" and make it happen.  They didn't. My father

was not much of a parent.  He really just wanted you to get old enough to be his buddy.  However, he was a very smart man.  He taught me to love words.  We made up word games and puzzles for fun.  I loved taking the longest word I could find and then racing to see who could find as many words in that word in an hour.  I do this even today as a form of relaxation.  Dad taught me to play board games, card games, how to skate, how to ride a bike, how to grill and enjoy summer (even though I hate temperatures above 50˚), how to cook and eat crabs, how to love reading books, to read the newspaper everyday and learn something from it, to watch Jeopardy and enjoy trivia, how to roll dice and gamble, tell dirty jokes (that he actually should not have been teaching a child), he tried to teach me to draw, but I wasn't the child for that particular talent, and he taught me to love and appreciate jazz.  My father didn't teach me to be honest or even trustworthy, but he taught me that sometimes we can only do what we are capable of doing.  His idea of parenting was that if you know how to do it-do it.  When I was about 17 I had my driver's license, but couldn't drive.  He bought me a car and took me on the busiest highway in the area.  I was scared to death and making life threatening moves.  He yelled at me and said," you have a license, so drive the damn car. You had to have driven something in order to get the license".  I was shaking, my hands were trembling, and my heart was pounding. He made me drive the entire day and when I got back home I was so glad to get from behind the wheel of that car.  How we made it back and forth across those bridges I couldn't tell you.  What did I learn from that lesson? I don't know. I just know in his eyes you can't be afraid, just do it! I do get afraid, but I do take a deep breath and dive right in. 

This was my father's favorite song to sing to me.  I knew all of the words by the time I was four years old.  I chose this particular video because of the train and the sepia look and feel.  My father loved to drive, but if we had to travel any other way it was by train.  I am a train aficionado-I collect trains and love to spend vacations riding steam trains and visiting train museums.