Honor a Teacher

" Your gonna be a teacher one day.  I know it."     
                                                                            -Mrs. Welch

        I was five years old when I walked in to her classroom.  It was bright and aestheticlly pleasurable to the eyes.  My name was written De'Nelian style on a name tag covered in rainbows.  I had my own nametag, on my own desk. Yessss.  She removed my Fraggle Rock backpack off  my shoulders and placed it in a little brown cubby, with my name written De' Neliean style on yet another name tag. A sentence strip.  Taped crookedly on the top level of my three shelved cubby. My own sentence strip, in my very own cubby. Yesss. I'm so grown up.
 
     I was assigned to sit next to Scott Studer, the class heartthrob.  Oh how he was charming.  With his shaggy black hair and reebok shoes laced with bright green shoe laces.  He was so cool.  I liked him.  I had a crush on him.  I wanted to share my Teddy Ruxpin with him.  He would always avoid me, until he wanted to use my neon glue.  I think he liked me. 
    
     Yeah, he dug me.
  
      Mrs. Welch wasn't like a lot of teachers.  Well, then again, she was the only teacher I knew at the time.  I was a brand new student, with brand new saddle shoes and a brand new Strawberry Shortcake lunch box.  She was my brand new teacher.  She borded the classroom in scripture.  I couldn't read yet but, I couldn't wait to read those words.  Written in cursive.  So mysterious.  Her love for us was laced with stringent and dedication.  She didn't believe in "counting to three".  If you weren't obeying by two, your behavior cloud had already changed colors and a note to your mother was already placed neatly in your folder.  With a big red line.  A line only made for a parent's signature.  So strait. So scary.  A line that... noone wanted to ever see. 
   
      She loved us.  She told us we will someday be something.  She had faith in us.  She was strong willed and passionate.  Her voice was high pitched.  Lyrics of a sweet song.  Words that guided us.  Encouraged us.  Praised us.  I was five but, I rememeber her.  I wanted to be like her.  I wanted to grade papers and draw scary red lines.  I wanted fifty red pens on my desk in my fancy pen holder.  I wanted a pink polkadotted coffee mug on my desk.  Except with hot chocolate.  Yeah, hot chocolate.  I wanted to be able to get ones attention with only three claps. 
    
     Mrs. Welch was inspiring.  The ultimate educator.  Leader.  She molded my path.  The path that I have followed for years now.  I never strayed off that path because it was made by someone beautiful.  Someone who taught me to find myself.  A role-model.  A friend of God.  A friend to my family.  A friend to me.  She framed my educational universe.  She planted road signs for me to follow so that I may be a successful learner.  So I would never be lost.  Scriptures became my map.  Her voice, my compass. She was someone everyone wanted to be.  Mrs. Welch.  My kindergarten teacher.  Today, I teach- because of you.
 
       My favorite grade to teach..... kindergarten. With my fancy pen holder and my pink coffee mug.  With hot chocolate.  I take off backpacks and jackets and hang them in cubbies.  With nametags.  I write letters home and draw big red lines.  But not so scary. And in my bookshelf sits a little green book.  With scriptures, highlighted by you.  That you kept all those years as you taught until you humbly passed it to me.  So, Mrs. Welch, like you...... I love.  I inspire.  I teach.
    
     With my heart and soul I  thank you sweet teacher.  You meant what you said-  " Your gonna be a teacher one day"... and you knew it. 

My favorite treat to share with my students........ cupcakes :)