Yesterday my friend and colleague Pat Harrington died. Pat was the K-1 teacher at Harmony Elementary and the person who introduced our family to the world of school. I vividly remember dropping off James on that first morning of kindergarten--how excited he was, how excited his little brother was, how much my throat ached as I tried so hard not to weep. As another friend noted yesterday, kindergarten teachers have a task that goes beyond teaching children; they must also teach parents how to let go. Pat helped me learn that lesson, but she did more. She also encouraged me to become a useful part of her class. Thanks to Pat, I began coming into school once a week to sing songs with her kids. Then we expanded to weekly poetry sessions. Then, suddenly, the school offered to hire me as a K-8 music teacher, a temporary job that lasted for seven years. Without Pat, I would not have had the confidence to accept that job.

I had some skills and some knowledge, but I didn't have any experience in classroom management or lesson structure, so I began to watch Pat. And she was masterful. She was the quintessential no-nonsense teacher--firm, organized, unwilling to take crap. Yet even though she ran a tight kindergarten ship, she was no martinet. She knew that structure makes freedom possible, and both my sons thrived in her class because she required civil behavior while also encouraging curiosity and independence. This is how self-directed learners are made. She herself modeled those attributes, for if she was organized, she was also flexible. I so clearly remember her telling me: "Well, this morning during reading, James raised his hand and said, 'Mrs. Harrington, I've got an idea about how we should do this.' So James taught the class, and he did a great job."

The lessons I learned from Pat have been invaluable in my own teaching, no matter the subject, no matter the age or experience level. Without her brisk encouragement, I would not be a teacher today. Rest easy, Pat. And thank you.

Here's a poem that Pat's K-1 class wrote together in 2004, after we read "The North Wind Doth Blow."

The North Wind Talks to the Robin
            by K-1, Harmony, November 2004
Get off my pine tree.
Go down south.
I want to be alone
to play with the windy clouds
and blow the leaves off the trees
and be sad because you’ve gone
and I want you to come back.