You never know who’s going to touch your life. If you think about it, there are hundreds, probably thousands of people that you’ve crossed paths with in your lifetime. Some of them are just familiar faces, like the nice woman at the sushi shop. Others will form closer bonds with you, and stick around for a few months, or a few years. But you can never really anticipate which of these people will leave lasting impressions on you.
She was one of those people.
Never did I think that I’d be crying over the death of a former teacher. Granted, I’d be sad, because death is sad, not really because I cared all that much. This was different. For starters, she was lovely, to everyone, back in the days when we were a bunch of annoying little juniors. Even though she shared our class with another teacher, who was very much less than kind to us, she constantly encouraged us to do our best. She wasn’t just saying that either. We were motivated because we felt we had to live up to her expectations, because she believed in us so hard.
Although as a maths teacher, she was never able to teach me much about the subject, as a coach, she taught me a lot about life. It sounds really cliché to say, but she really did teach me the importance of believing in myself. She taught me that it didn’t matter that I didn’t play at A-level, as long as I fucking believed that I could beat the shit out of anyone on the other side of the court.
There are so many things that I can’t even put into words, but just… Thank you, so much, for believing.
R. I. P.
I always was disappointed that I probably didn't do as well in her Maths class as my dad did when she taught him. I didn't expect to cry because I wasn't especially close with her, even when she'd taught both my parents and watched them fall for each other in another high school era. But then I cried, but couldn't stop smiling because as I started to remember her again after several years of not thinking of her at all, all I could remember was how fun and kind she was to all of us. She was still making me laugh. She had the loveliest blue eyes and I can't imagine them being anything but happy and full of humour.
ReplyDeletethis made me cry all over again. but at least we can miss her together, and remember the extraordinary life she led. she really did make a big impact on our small lives, although it's sad that only now do i recognise how important it is. RIP mrs simmonds, and know that you'll be lovingly remembered for a long time to come.
ReplyDeleteafsakajhajdasld now *I* want to cry again... DX
ReplyDeleteBut hey, she was an amazing woman, always bright and smiley, and goddamn, maths was *great* in Year 9. I think we were all pretty fortunate to have had our lives touched by Mrs Simmonds - her memory will live on within us :)