Teacher, Student and Life-long Friend

My Dear Francine, I need you to know how much you are loved. So much of what I do as a teacher is because of you. As your student in the 80s, you showed me that we could have fun and laugh and still learn. Every day in class we were transformed into Mrs. Finkel’s world of literature and writing, and we loved the adventure. You are compassionate, entertaining, and intelligent; and I soon learned as your colleague in 1989, that the in-class persona and real-life persona were not far apart. Our teacher-student relationship evolved as I became your colleague, but still… you were my teacher as I took over your class after you gave birth to wonderful Jonathan, who I later taught in 9th and 11th grade. Our lives truly meshed. Throughout the following years, you looked took me under your wing as I mastered Links (which I still teach 33 years later). You taught me classroom management tips–how to color code classes to remain organized, how to use the seating chart with the plastic cover sheets to write notes about the students– the list goes on. At the beginning of my career, you shared your meaningful, masterful lessons with me … but in later years you narrated your daily plans to me to make sure they were logical… not realizing how amazing you were as an instructor and that as your student and colleague, I was flattered that YOU wanted MY opinion about YOUR lesson. I wanted to be like you! I’ll never forget the moments when you made me laugh till my bones hurt: When you told on yourself (or self-reported) after you threw a student’s crutch off the balcony of the second floor of Killian’s English wing when you were frustrated with his behavior! I still laugh about that now! I hope you know how much I admire you, that even though we’ve spent years at different schools and have not been in touch as much as I would like, that you are on my mind. Almost daily, there is something in my lesson that reminds me of you and your creativity. I wish more teachers and people were more like you, Francine Davis! The world would be a better place, for sure. I wish you peace in the coming days. In this crazy life, we don’t always get to tell people how much they are loved and appreciated. I love and appreciate you more than you know. You have been a huge part of my life, and I’m grateful for this! Cathy Conkling