This Friday will be the final day of my final long-term subbing assignment of the 2020-2021 school year. What a year it has been. I would have never survived it had it not been for the support of several dedicated educators at Southern Boone Primary School who have been there to lend a helping hand whenever I needed one. I would like to take this opportunity right now to publicly acknowledge these amazing coworkers and friends.
Between covering for a teacher in Covid quarantine and another on maternity leave, I spent most of the first semester teaching kindergarten. Although every single kindergarten teacher and instructional aide helped me in one way or another—by providing me with photocopies, chocolate, or much-appreciated encouragement—two people stood out in particular: Ashten Meyer and Linda Newman.
As an instructional aide, Linda divides her time between working one-on-one with students who need extra academic support and making sure that classroom teachers have everything they need to do their jobs. Linda always made sure that important notices, calendars, and permission forms were placed in my students’ Friday folders each week, she made copies whenever I needed them, and she helped me keep track of what specials (Art, Music, P.E., Library, Guidance, Learning Garden) my class needed to go to each day. She also watched my class for me whenever I needed a restroom break, and as any schoolteacher will tell you, that is the greatest gift anyone can give a teacher.
Thank you for all your help Mrs. Newman.
The other person most responsible for my successful navigation of the stormy seas of kindergarten was Ashten Meyer. I have had the pleasure of watching Ashten grow from a quiet student teacher into a confident and dynamic veteran educator over the years, and as luck would have it, she was my next-door neighbor in the kindergarten hallway from the first week of October through Christmas break. I simply could not have managed it without her.
Ashten was really good at walking the fine line between offering her help and trusting my ability to handle my own business. She made sure I had everything I needed to execute my lesson plans, and she made me feel confident in my ability to do my job. Never once did she make me feel like a clueless substitute; instead, she treated me like a competent colleague. She was also a lot of fun to talk to in those precious few moments of free time we occasionally found, and I have missed having the opportunity to visit with her ever since my kindergarten assignment ended.
Thank you so much, Ashten, for everything.
In late January, I began an eight-week assignment in a second grade classroom, covering another maternity leave. While everyone on the second floor of the school’s new addition has been quick to offer their help and/or moral support, one person has stood out in particular. Emily Gentry, a veteran teacher and one of my closest friends at school, has been and always will be there for me whenever I need her.
Emily and I have quite a history together, starting eight years ago when I was a sub in the classroom in which she did her student teaching. The next year, her first year as a certified teacher, my son Truman was in her class. I like to think that surviving a year with a Naughton as a student is what made Emily the pro that she is today.
Over the next few years, I would go on to officiate Emily’s wedding and work as her long-term sub for both of her maternity leaves. This year, I have had the pleasure of working directly across the hall from her. Her growth as an educator has been a privilege to witness, and her help as a co-worker has been deeply appreciated. I am truly grateful to have her in my life as a colleague and as a friend.
For you, Emily Gentry, a “thank you” is not enough. The only way I can convey how much you mean to me is to say: I love you. Somehow, even that doesn’t seem adequate.
I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge Jasmine Rustemeyer and Stacie Siliva, the two teachers/new mothers for whom I have had the honor of subbing while they stayed home with their beautiful babies. Both of these amazing women left me with months’ worth of excellent sub plans and well-organized classroom routines to follow. I am humbled that they trusted me to teach and care for their students in their absence. It’s an honor I do not take lightly.
Thank you Jasmine and Stacie for your trust and for offering me such rewarding opportunities. And congratulations again on the births of your little bundles of joy. Now it’s my turn to spend some quality time with my own bundle of joy, my grandbaby Freya.
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