Proof in the Power of a Teacher

About 10pm last night, I learned that my freshman high school English teacher had passed away. She was found in her home, by her only daughter, having a heart attack. CPR was administered by her son-in-law, the the EMTs took her to the hospital. She was pronounced dead at 8:30 PM.

Her story is pretty amazing. Just a few weeks ago, she lost her husband who had been extremely ill. She took a medical leave of absence for 40 days while she stayed at her husband's side in the hospital. After her husband died, she assumed his city commission seat through a unanimous vote by the commission.

Besides that, she had been instrumental in a variety of revitalization initiatives in our town. Even if you did not know her personally, you certainly knew of her and her influence on the lives of all citizens in the town.

Beyond her civic contributions, she was first and foremost a high school teacher. I remember hearing horror stories about this mean English teacher you have during your freshman year. I won't lie, I was terrified of what was coming when I got to high school. Yes, she was intimidating. She was a force to be reckoned with. There were several things you knew about her class that you did not question: (1) you did not talk unless it was appropriate, (2) you will respect her and your fellow students, and (3) she despised any grape flavored gum or candy!

Some of my fondest memories of her were her discipline tactics. My favorite was "outer Mongolia." This was an area in her room that was cordoned off for that constant disruption in her class. One of my friends had a permanent residence in outer Mongolia for the year. He tried to give her hell, but she would not be deterred. Outer Mongolia got further and further away from the class and then more secluded. Ultimately, she won!

Another great memory of her was her hatred of grape flavored candy. She could smell even the smallest piece of it when she entered the room, and you better not had been the one to have it. I can still hear her going off about "WHO HAS THE GRAPE CANDY?" Well, our trouble student (the outer Mongolian permanent resident) decided to make our last day with her the most memorable. He stood at the door of the classroom and handed out GRAPE BUBBLE GUM. And, yes, every one of us took a piece and chewed, chewed, chewed. As soon as she walked in the door you can imagine the screeching that went on in the class. She took it in great stride. She was a class act.

She is the one who introduced me to theater and the performing arts. In the ONLY field trip we ever took in high school, she took the entire freshman class to see a performance of "Oliver," a musical adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel. It was a blast. I will forever be grateful to her for that interest and appreciation I gained for the arts.

Another great memory of her was her hair. Yes, her hair. She had a style all her own. We all swore that she woke up with her hair as messy as it was. Now, you have to imagine, this was a woman who knew style. She only got her clothes from boutiques. She liked being in fashion, and I don't think we ever saw the same outfit twice. Knowing that, we couldn't fathom how her hair looked so disheveled everyday. (The picture below is a good example...)

The most miraculous part of her teaching career is the length of time she had been teaching. She had been teaching since 1966. That right, she has been teaching for 45 years. As a teacher now, I can tell you that it takes great amounts of patience, determination, and a sheer love of students to teach that long. Also, she remained as effective as when she first began. She taught my dad, my aunt, and my uncle when she began her teaching career in the 60s. In reality, she has taught 3 to 4 generations of students. I know no other teacher who could say that.

A testimony to her effectiveness and her everlasting impression on all our lives is the fact that within an hour of her death, one of her current students had already created a Facebook page in memory of her. It has only been a little over 12 hours since the page was created, and there are already 675 members on the page. The memories are pouring on the page. I have taken time to read a lot of them, and there is a common thread running through all of them...the passion she had for teaching and for her students. I think that page and the responses to it truly show her legacy will live on in all of us.

I only hope that I can leave even a fraction of the impression she has left on her students and this world.

She will be missed by all who knew her. The stories of her life, her teaching, her faith, her loyalty to friends and family, and her legacy will live on in all of us. This world will not be the same without Mrs. Wassom.

Thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends, our high school family, and our community.

Note: As of midnight on 4/12/10, the membership to the tribute page was over 1000.