At the end of most school days, my 10-year-old daughter and her fourth-grade teacher would part ways with a hug — a little routine my daughter seemed to cherish.
The last day of school was Friday. While most kids are already celebrating the joys of carefree summer days ahead, my oldest is still trying to come to terms with saying goodbye to her favorite teacher for a final time.
“I’m going to miss her,” my daughter recently told me with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I love her.”
This particular teacher, she explained, makes learning fun for her students, recognizes them for doing good work and shows she really cares for them.
“She doesn’t just teach,” my daughter added. “She talks to us and takes the time to share stories with us.”
When I hear my daughter speak so highly of her teacher, I’m reminded of my enduring affection for Mrs. Low.
Mrs. Low was my fifth-grade teacher. My favorite teacher. I felt a connection with her from the very start: I was 10 years old and it was my first day at a new school — my third elementary school. Mrs. Low’s gentle voice and kind demeanor offered such welcoming comfort in unfamiliar surroundings.
She made me look forward to going to school and gave me a love of learning. She was patient and nurturing, but stern when she needed to be. I respected her as much as I adored her.
As a school newspaper adviser, Mrs. Low introduced me to newswriting and guided me when I was a student reporter. It was at that early age I developed a love for journalism and realized my calling — thanks in part to Mrs. Low.
Great teachers do more than instill knowledge in us. They make us feel worthy in all ways, motivate us to never give up and compel us to meet our maximum potential. I love that more than 30 years later, I have been able to keep in touch with Mrs. Low, who continues to inspire me to do my best.
A few months ago she sent me a sweet card, handwritten in her perfect cursive, just as I remember it on her classroom chalkboard decades ago. She wished me a happy Chinese New Year and told me she enjoys my columns.
“Keep up the memorable sharing,” she wrote. Mrs. Low’s encouraging words still move me the same way they did when I was a little girl, so full of uninhibited creativity and eager to please her with my writing assignments and art projects.
I’m hoping all three of my daughters have the chance to keep in touch with their favorite teachers throughout their lives, just as I have with Mrs. Low. Perhaps my oldest daughter and her fourth-grade teacher will share such a bond over the years.
For now though, I’ve assured my daughter we will still be able to swing by her beloved teacher’s classroom next school year for frequent visits and those much-cherished hugs.
“She Speaks” is a weekly column by the women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@staradvertiser.com.
