Teachers Who Rock

I remember a few teachers who taught me when I was younger. Some of them stood out because they were good teachers – maybe a bit strict but they were fair. Others were plain nice and some down-right horrible. But even now, 5o+ years after the fact, I can still remember some of the teachers that touched my life, like Sr. Frances de Sales, Mrs. Schneider, Sr. Raphael, Sr. Visitation, and Sr. Blanche.

Now, while sitting through my oldest grandson’s 8^th grade graduation, I was first thinking how proud I am of my grandson, Matthew. By the way…congratulations, Matt!!! Then I started thinking about some of the really good teachers that stood out in my kid’s life from Kindergarten through High School.

There were a number of religious and lay people who stood out. First there was Sr. Ruth, principal of St. Theresa’s who always took a stand and never backed down. Then there was Pat O’Connell, besides being a good teacher, she just loved students and made all of them feel special.

But there were really two teachers who were the best: First there was Mrs. Wist, who taught Kindergarten at Franklin Elementary School. Mrs. Wist was beyond special…somehow words are hard to describe this extraordinary woman. She walked everywhere, and that included back and forth to school. My two youngest children had her, one year apart. Her lessons were never the same and they were never boring. She made sure that she changed her lesson plans. But even in her late 60s, she was as fresh as a young seasoned teacher. She definitely was young at heart. She approached her teaching with love, excitement, and fresh eyes. She even took her teaching out of the classroom and would invite her students to her house, for dinner, in small groups, where they dressed up and sat at the table with Mrs. Wist and her husband, who was the Mayor of Franklin Park, and talked and later played games.

When Mrs. Wist retired, she left a real legacy and millions of memories throughout the community, through all the children she taught, and the families that she touched.

The night of my grandson’s graduation from St. Sebastian School, it was the end of his grade school journey but it was also the end of another special teacher’s journey, Mrs. Ravis. Mrs. Ravis, 7^th and 8^th grade Social Studies teacher, was retiring after 30 years of dedicated teaching. She had taught five of my children, and my grandson would be the last Gauntner that she would ever teach. She loved my kids and grandson, and in return, they loved her. Mrs. Ravis was a wonderful Social Studies teacher, full of life and energy in her classroom.  Every other year, she would have a Great Americans Day where the students would dress up like a famous American and they would celebrate with a program and a special cake. Mrs. Ravis has a big and loving heart, and her students and the families saw it, every day. Mrs. Ravis also had battled cancer, took a leave of absence, and came back to teach. She has shown courage to all who have met her.

So…I especially want to send kudos out to Mrs. Wist and Mrs. Ravis for all their years of teaching and for all the love and knowledge that they have given to their students!