Before my mother married my father and raised five children, she was a school teacher.
In 1951, at the age of 21, she was profiled by Glamour Magazine, in an article titled “diary of an elementary school teacher.” It was the first in a series of articles about women’s careers.
I found the article in my mother’s scrap book, and it took me on a trip over 70 years back in time.
At 11:30 the class returned to school and my mother got her students back to class work with a lesson in gratitude.
“Do you think we should let Mr. O’Grady know that we like the tour?” They do, so Bobby passes out paper and everyone writes a thank-you note. Elinor aids the cause of courtesy by printing hard words like automobile, electric, transportation on the board. Some of thee children wax exuberant, close with “love and kisses” to Mr. O’Grady but Elinor lets these pass. “The important thing,” she says, “is that they learn that it’s nice to express appreciation – the exact form doesn’t matter.”
How long has it been since our society glamorized school teachers? I remember my own teachers in the 1960s, teaching our class how to compose and format thank you notes and then address an envelope. How many elementary students know how to address an envelope today? If we experience a solar storm next year, as reported by the Patch earlier this week, and it knocks out the internet for months, maybe we will need to start teaching these basic skills (letter writing and the expression of gratitude) again. But, why wait until then? Why not now?
Christmas is coming, and my mother made all five of us write thank you notes for every gift we received from friends and relatives. Read my Pop-Up Thanksgiving Message photo blog about adopting a daily practice of gratitude and engaging in more thankfulness activities.
Wendy Nadherny Fachon 