When Mrs. Quidor bid us farewell at the end of third grade, we were distraught because not only were we leaving her, she was leaving our school. I couldn't imagine Lewis and Clark Elementary WITHOUT her, and I wished I could transfer to Hawthorne Elementary WITH her. I knew she'd be teaching FIRST grade, and I'd be starting FOURTH grade, but at least I could drop by her classroom to visit.
As she hugged us each goodbye, she slipped cards into our hands. Inside each was a picture of her in cap and gown, a testament that she believed in life-long learning. Not surprisingly, she penned also the enclosed poem as she often did. I've kept it all these years.
God was very kind you see,
When he gave you to me;
To love and teach from the start,
In discovering secrets of your heart,
In this never-ending field of learning.
Watching you daily unvold the beauty of God's gifts,
Was an answer to year of my soul's yearning.
Knowing the secret gained in sharing this art of giving,
Is to help others enjoy the fun of living.
Dallas Quidor
Renae's teacher from 1954-1957
4 comments:
I too shared the committment of Dallas Quidor for three years. The first, second, and third grades, except at Hawthorne Elementary and received the same poetic note on my moving to fourth grade. I have never forgotten her or the time in her classroom. Not only did she teach, she shared. Her husband who worked at the Ashton Fish Hatchery gave us a tour and her pet Bo was a regular at school. I so looked forward to Fridays when she brought the dog to class. How great to find a homage to her in your blog. Thank You.
CJ! What a surprise! I, too, toured the fish hatchery one summer when we stopped by as part of our family vacation. I remember her husband's name was Bob, but I couldn't recall their beautiful Boxer's name. I LOVED that dog!
Oh, and did she devote Fridays to "Little Theater" as she did with us? Thanks for dropping by and for reminding me of more touching memories!
Renae
Renae, I don't remember it as Little Theater, but we did have members of the class share who they were, I remember a girl, whose name I do not recall, but she and her family were from Hawaii and she frequently did Hula dances for us. One year, Mrs. Quidor had us each bring a recipe from home and we made recipe books for our mothers for Christmas. My mother still has hers and brings it out every Christmas. That is a lot of year ago. I will never forget Mrs. Quidor!
I can't tell you how fun it's been to hear from another of Mrs. Quidor's students. Last question, do you know what ever became of her?
Thanks again for your comments.
Renae
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