Caitlyn Hoggan

Period 6

Extra Credit/Free Writes

A wet, salty, unwanted tear leaked down my face as I stared into her eyes that were the color of the Caribbean Sea. I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t cry and be humiliated in front of my peers, but all the boys in the class were sobbing, so...why not?!?! I threw myself into her protective and loving arms and buried my pink overheated face into her soft gray Bozarth shirt. “Why was I crying?”, I pondered to myself as her arms tightened into my unstable torso, “It was the last day of school for crying out loud!” But, it was the last day of elementary school which I had thought would be one of the best days of my educational life. What I didn’t know was how deep Ms. Day would be engraved into my heart. I couldn’t stand not being able to have her teach me everyday...literally. My legs collapsed, as would preschool building blocks, from under me as her arms loosened. While I limped away, wiping the remaining moisture off my damp face, I tried to remember what made her so special, what made this year unforgettable, and why my eyes were filling up with an unnecessary amount of tears.

I flashed back to the first day, where all the memories began to grow. That day my head was filled with not one happy thought of the words “Ms. Day”. I had heard the students from years before refer to her as “The Wicked Witch”. Scarred by the image of having that horrific creature lurking in the rooms of this building, I sluggishly paced myself into her classroom and dropped into the seat in the farthest corner of the room. Expecting to hear a scruffy low growl, I was surprised when I heard a voice which filled my heart with sudden warmth. To complete the velvety voice was the most angelic face my eyes had ever crossed. Her smile was so bright it could have lit the room by itself. The rest of her features were breathtaking. She had little creases of age under her eyes that resembled her years of wisdom. But her eyes were filled with excitement and enthusiasm as she gazed out upon the faces of my classmates. To complete her appearance was the long, dark, rich hair outlining her face.

That is the first and last image I saw of her, but In the last image her eyes held the same sorrow as mine. I then tried to reach further into my occupied mind to reflect on what type of teacher she was. She wasn’t a teacher who was free spirited and only let her class run wild like crazed monkeys. She wasn’t a teacher who was cranky, grouchy, and without smiles, like some I have had in the past. Ms. Day was the perfect mix, like a fresh, out of the oven cookie along with a tall, cold glass of milk!

The one quality Ms. Day possessed, that was front and center in my mind, was her ability to teach her students in a way that encouraged them to do their best always. She taught with methods that included music, play dough, shovels, chairs and many other “props”. To top off being the most fabulous teacher she also gave us the opportunity to attend Sea Camp in San Diego, which taught us about the living creatures that occupy 3/4 of our mysterious world.

Unfortunately, I then bounced back to reality when her warm, smooth, gentle hand stroked my arm. Her eyes locked on mine and confirmed the saying that she had told us “I will never go away, unless you want me too”. Then she pulled me to her chest for our last hug and while she swayed me back and forth sliding her hand down my hair, I knew in my heart her words were true. Earlier that week she had told our class that she was attending 15 graduations of her past students. I then broke her grasp when I realized my little brother was tugging on my arm. As I walked away I glanced at my angel one last time and she was smiling at me and was mouthing the words - “Love You!” as a crystal tear descended off her cheek.

Ms. Day - My last words to you would be...

“Never Go Away!”