My 3rd grade teacher was a very caring woman. I remember every day after school she would give us big hugs and say goodbye as we exited through the door of the small portable. Since Mill Creek Elementary had become more popular than expected, they had to expand with cheap portables that looked decent, but stunk of plaster and fresh wood. I suppose it was the fresh paint that was poorly layered upon them, but …showed first 75 words of 506 total…

…showed last 75 words of 506 total…projecting one of the largest, whitest, and most lively smiles one would ever see. Her cheeks were smooth and only carried a few discrete wrinkles. I never knew where she got all her energy from. She never came to school without a cheerful attitude, even when she was sick. I don't think she missed more than 2 days of school that year, devoted she was, or possibly motivated because of the rewards she received from teaching.