grey marble

January 21, 2004


First grade teachers

An ad in the subway for the NYC Teaching Fellows reads, "You remember the name of your first grade teacher. Who will remember yours?" I don't remember my first grade teacher, but I remember my fourth. She gave us pencils one year for Christmas. I knew they were pencils before I opened the gift. I could smell the wood through the wrapping paper. They were green with gold lettering, "Merry Christmas From Mrs. Powell." I never used them. Years ago I returned to Idaho and visited my elementary school. Mrs. Powell was still there, shorter than I remember, but then everything was. I hadn't been back since leaving the summer after fourth grade. Her hair was blonde; I remembered a brunette. It may have been frosted. A pipe had broken in her classroom, but she pretended to remember me before rushing off to find a janitor. On the wall was a photograph of a snow dragon that had been carved on the front lawn one of the years I attended. Or maybe they do that every year. I want to remember the black and white picture as from my own. Posted by eku at January 21, 2004 6:41 PM
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