James M. Jeffords: “it is a pleasure to participate in honoring our teachers in National Teacher Appreciation Week. I think we all remember…”

“it is a pleasure to participate in honoring our teachers in National Teacher Appreciation Week. I think we all remember those early years of our lives when we started school. I still remember the first day of first grade. I remember going to school in my father's hand and fearing what was going to happen to me. I remember Mrs. Anderson who greeted us all individually at the door and how immediately I warmed up to her. It was then I realized this really wasn't going to be as bad as I thought. I can even remember where my seat was that year. Ms. Maughn, in second grade, was another wonderful person. The teacher I remember more was Viola Burns, my third grade teacher. That was the beginning of World War II. She realized I needed a little further work so she had me read Time magazine and come back to her to talk about it. I also had her in the sixth grade. She was an incredible individual who helped shape my life. Then fourth grade was 'teacher unappreciation year'--I don't want to remember that. We rebelled. We ran through five teachers before we settled down. I wiped that from my memory. I feel sorry for those five teachers. I think everyone has memories and understands what an incredible help a teacher can be in our lives. My mother was a music and art teacher; my sister, a third grade teacher; my niece is a teacher; the man across the street was the principal of our high school. Those schools are gone.…”