Wednesday Wisdom: Happy Valentine's Day to my Teaching Mentor

I did my student teaching at North Pole High School in North Pole, Alaska in 1996-1997 with Pat Sheehan. I remember the long drive from my 12x16 foot cabin (no running water) in Fairbanks to North Pole, during months of subzero temperatures and darkness. Each day when I arrived at school, I was met by the smiling face of my mentor. Mrs. Sheehan was about to retire (though that was not the only reason for her smile), and she put a tremendous effort into passing on her knowledge of the teaching profession to me.

In addition to many in-depth conversations about teaching, we also kept a dialogue journal that we wrote in each day to each other. When one book filled up, we started another one. I have kept these journals over the years and use them in my current job of teaching future teachers. Reading my entries helps put me back in touch with the hopes, dreams and anxieties of being a new teacher. Reading Mrs. Sheehan's entries inspires me to do more, be more, for future teachers. Her writing has really stood the test of time, as this passage shows: