Margaret July 28, 1928-Feb 19, 2012

Much of what I see, hear and feel from the teachers that I work with on my way from retired physician to High School Science Teacher is that enthusiasm, preparedness and the love of learning are what separate the effective from the classroom space holders.  A bad day teaching is a time to reflect and the next a new day; leave yesterday and go into the next with the expectation that this will be your finest hour.

What I didn't realize was that there are life events that make even the best of intentions and the best of lesson plans hollow.

Last weekend my first teacher died unexpectedly at the age of 83.  I had last spoken with her a few days before on my birthday.  She was hospitalized with a mild pneumonia and slight confusion.  You would never have perceived that in our conversation.  We reminisced and she reiterated her disbelief that her son was over 50 and she was still 39.

My mother had one message,"Education is power, don't ever stop learning."  She was the one who taught me to read, write in cursive and use an Italic pen.  Not a night went through my early childhood that my day ended without the magic of the Cat in the Hat, Heidi, A Christmas Carol or something by Robert Frost or the Hardy Boys.  By 4 she was teaching me numbers and multiplication, buying these immense table top books on Mathematics, Science and making me read allowed until I was overwhelmed by sleep.

As I grew older it was books of all genres.  Holden and I became soul mates before I was 10. Mark Twain, Dickens, science fiction, histories of the world, Le Petite Prince (which I had to translate), Che Guevara, Marx, Hitler, Churchill, and even James Joyce.  I would read at night with a flashlight under my pillow the wonders of Einstein or journey through the life of a 1850's family doctor in the Midwest,  I always thought she didn't know of my read until 3 o'clock episodes until one day I awakened to my book on my desk across the room with the flashlight and a package of 4 batteries, She would talk to me about he more controversial ones and help me understand the fictionalization of a character was an authors rendition of a real person.  The thoughts and ideas that I either didn't at first grasp, she would put in her own words for me to understand.

It was through literature that I became fascinated with science.  The one book that pushed the button was a book by an author and title I do not recall about the evolution of electricity, especially Galvani's work with frogs legs.  Then came a book on Harvey and circulation, Galileo and the solar system and one special volume written by Pepys on the plague year.

By 12 I was trying to make electrical cells from potatoes and not believing I could do anything else but research and teach.

My mother was my formative teacher, my school teachers were her apprentices, filling in the gaps.  I went from 1st to 4th grade in two years,

My mother died on the weekend before a Monday I was to observe and student teach a class of honors 11th graders the concept of momentum.  It was then that I realized if I could not give them 100%, I was depriving them of knowledge.  My mentor asked me to come in, if just to observe.  My mom was being cremated, the service would be in June when she, my father's ashes (he died 2 years ago this month) and their beloved dog of many years KoKo (from he Mikado) would be strewn far out in the Atlantic Ocean, the place she loved, in sight of the beach house she lived in for 20 years. I am so concerned that I will not be able to make that event.  That in itself is pulling tears just writing this piece.  I can only take that one day at a time.

So I went in and watched and when the class I was to teach rolled in the spirit of my mom came out in the words of Dr. Seuss:

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” 

She questioned only briefly my move from medicine to High School teacher, and it was simply to say, be sure it's your passion, then let nothing get in the way of giving back what was given to you.

The class was wonderful, powerful, engaging and fun.  I had but one teary minute at the end as they were leaving.  A student came up and said, good class, but you have something on your mind that just came out this minute. 

I just said, without thinking, my mom passed away.

"Well Dr.C", she said,"there's one momma up in heaven bragging to God right now."

When I talked to her the day of my birthday and told her of the class to come her words were something like, their in for a treat, don't let anything or anyone stop them from that experience.

And maybe that was generic, maybe prophetic, but it surely was something she would have supported,


God speed momma- I am certain you will be giving the big guy pointers, whether he needs them of not, he can't help but listen.

Today marks the third week of my journey as a student, 30 years since last being one.  After 30 years of practice in a professional field and 10 years of post High School training- I am off into classrooms and homework.  In years of old I wanted to teach High School Physics or Biology.  I'm back and excited as anyone could imagine. Frustrated because in my previous profession all the legwork was done for me, and now I am learning that all does not come without paperwork and regulations.  Thus the challenge.  I am befriending my old buddy caffeine and making the plans and steps to get to a state of license and begin the task of exciting youth, as I was excited many years ago.

At this point it is learning to walk again and move forward.  Off to homework.  Off to reading and planning how to be three places at once tomorrow!