Thursday, August 31, 2023
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By far one of the best teachers I ever had the pleasure of learning from. A kind, patient person who always had time for her students and colleagues. Fun anecdote: back in '73 we had as our yearly major project, each student had to pick a country and write an in depth report on it. I picked India, and just for fun I asked if I could bring in a sample of Indian food for the class. Pat gave me permission, so I made some dessert made with fried apple pieces and honey. It was a hit, and some of the other students wanted to do the same for their reports. Eventually we had students and teachers wandering in wondering what the awesome smells were. By the next year, almost everyone did a dish as part of their report. Fast forward 20 years or so and my daughter is an ME student. She comes home one day and asks me what she should make for the (I believe it was called something like) Cultures Day. Turns out over time it had become a school wide exercise in learning about other cultures, and kids would bring in food from their families traditional culture. Only a teacher willing to go outside the box and let their students run with a new idea would have supported and encouraged such a wonderful concept to bridge differences and learn about other students lives. I am very proud to have been her student and occasional friend, and there are only a few people I know who have contributed so much to their society and especially their kids.
Miss you and love you Pat, and FYI I'm still trying to get Mr Torrington to write that hall pass! ;)
