Mrs. Thompson

The wisteria is in full bloom!

Mrs. Willodean Thompson was my 5th and 6th grade science teacher and one of the 6th grade homeroom teachers at Oakman Elementary. I had her for homeroom, so that meant she taught me spelling and reading in addition to 6th grade science. She was the meanest teacher in the entire world!! Or so my memories tell me. I'm sure that now that I'm an adult and a teacher myself, I would have a very different opinion were I able to visit her classroom again. She was very strict, and she didn't put up with any foolishness! We had tape on the floor where our desks were to be, and believe you me, if you got your desk off the tape, she made sure you got it right back on! She was an excellent teacher, though, and she taught me so much.

So, what does wisteria have to do Mrs. Thompson? I don't remember if it was in 5th or 6th grade, but she pointed out a tree covered in wisteria behind the school. I don't know if we had talked about wisteria during the plant unit of our science class, if it had been mentioned in a story we read, or if she just wanted to point it out to us, but every year when the wisteria blooms, I think about Mrs. Thompson.

She is one of those teachers that I wish I were able to go back and thank for all she did. One of my strongest desires is that I am making an impression in some way on my students the way Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Hutto, or Miss Smith did on me. I think it is because of these wonderful, wonderful teachers that I made the choice to go into education.

Thank you, Mrs. Thompson!