Blog 9

  Growing up, I was always taught to listen to all the adults in my life, namely, my teachers. My mother always made a point to make sure that I was respectful, considerate, and a good student in all of my classes throughout my years in school. Fast forward to being a Senior in high school, I can remember every teacher I have ever had, specific conversations and things I like or disliked about them, but most of all, what they taught me about life.
   I used to live in Morristown, New Jersey until after second grade. The school I went to was small, very diverse in kids, had no air conditioning (I had the seat by the fan, so I was happy), and had my first grade teacher, Mrs. Semel. I remember having some pretty funny moments in her class, like the time she brought a box turtle into class in a bucket or that she always smelled like carrots, or that she went out of her way to yank my pony tail. But she knew upon meeting me that I was very much my own person. After the first day of school, she called my mother to tell her exactly that. She said, normally, when one student raises their hand to go to the bathroom, 22 other hands raise to ask to do the same. She said that I was different, because I said I didn't have to go to the bathroom, so why should I raise my hand. Her words exactly were, "She marches to the beat of her own drum."
   Students often have a love/hate relationship with school. Some love it and enjoy every minuet of it and others are itching to move up, on , and out. School, really, is the biggest socializing agent in a persons life. It teaches you how to learn, how to be around other people, respect higher authority, time management, and a host of other values. I sound like a broken record because I have honestly loved school and would be a totally different person without it. Mrs.Semel had the right idea; in all of my 18 years, I have been a very independent person who enjoys not always doing what everyone else enjoys.
   After moving from New Jersey, my family vowed to stay in touch with as many people as possible, one being Mrs. Semel. I remember going back to visit and we would go to her house or go out to breakfast. But more often than not, life tends to get in the way of keeping up with old friends. We would call on Mrs. Semel's birthday because it was only a few days away from mine and catch up but that eventually stopped. When I got into college, I was so excited and wanted to share this excitement with everyone I came in contact with and asked my mother to give Mrs. Semel a call because she had always been apart of the big things in my life. Mrs. Semel passed away last August, three months before I got into college. When I had her, she was 72 and she lived to be 83; I honestly thought she was going to live forever just so I could tell her all about the big things in my life. Even though she is no longer physically here, the lessons she taught me will stay with me the rest of my life.