The Moral of the Story -- Cindy Trane Christeson
“The entire object of true education is to make people not merely do
the right thing, but enjoy the right things; not merely industrious, but
to love industry; not merely learned, but to love knowledge; not merely
pure, but to love purity; not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after
justice.”
-- John Ruskin
From the moment I knew I was pregnant with each of our children, I had
many specific prayers for them and it’s been a great adventure to see
God’s different answers.
One prayer was that both of them would have a love of learning and God
has answered that prayer in more ways than I’d ever have imagined. Not
only have we been blessed to be surrounded by incredible family and
friends, but our girls also had many wonderful teachers in school. They
also had many great Sunday school teachers, coaches and other people who
were inspirational and influential in the many different facets of their
education.
I thought about this as I joined almost 200 other students, parents
and friends to honor Mrs. d’Albert who recently retired after teaching
for 25 years at a school in Corona del Mar. Mrs. d’Albert was an
exceptional teacher who gave her best and expected the best of each and
every student.
“She also has kept a dedicated interest in my life all these years
later, and I still get notes or calls about opportunities she knows would
interest me,” my daughter, Kelly, said about her fifth-grade teacher.
Mrs. d’Albert clearly went the extra mile for her students, and I was
glad that she was thanked for her dedication and commitment. On my way
home from the retirement tea, I stopped at the market. While unloading my
groceries, I heard a sweet voice behind me say, “Mommy, mommy, can I get
candy and flowers for my teacher for Valentines Day? I know she’d love it
and I love her.”
I turned and smiled at the mother with two little girls. One girl
pointed to a colorful candy display while the other twirled around and
said, “Me too. I love my teacher and I want to give her candy and flowers
too.”
She then plopped a bag of pretzels on top of some of my items.
“Calm down, girls,” the mother said. “I love your teachers too, but we
aren’t buying Valentines presents now. And honey, you almost squished
that lady’s avocado.”
“That’s no problem,” I said. “My girls were their age once, and they
loved their teachers too. That is such a gift. And you didn’t squish my
avocado, and even if you had, I like guacamole too.”
Both girls giggled. As I left, I overheard one girl say, “What did she
mean by our teachers being gifts? I thought we were supposed to buy them
gifts.”
I didn’t hear the answer, but I knew what I meant. Great teachers are
a gift. Great teachers deserve gifts, not just tangible ones, but gifts
of our time, prayers, encouragement and affirmation. I don’t know when
“Teacher Appreciation Day” is, but if someone has positively impacted you
or your children, today could be the day.
And you can quote me on that.
* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks
frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at o7
cindy@onthegrow.comf7 or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,
Newport Beach, CA 92658.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.