Andrea Street
Dear Adele,
When the Morgan School Principal hired me, in 1983, to share your Kindergarten room as the afternoon teacher, he mentioned, albeit gently, that you were a “bit picky”, warning me, I think, that you might be hard to get along with. But he was wrong, so very wrong. You welcomed me and supported me, a new teacher, in so many ways, sharing your materials, your experiences, and modeling what a proper, reliable, hard working teacher could be—should be. You were not picky, you had high standards for educators and those being educated. You knew what your K students needed to be successful, and you fashioned your instruction to meet those needs. And I learned so much from you! We quickly adapted to each other’s preferences, blending our teaching styles and ideas, and enjoying every minute of the very hard work that is part of the profession, no matter what grade level. You may have kindly put up with me, but I happily sucked up everything you had to share.
When you retired, well, you left a hole that was hard to fill. But, happily, we not only clicked in the classroom, but we developed a lovely friendship that scored us some great memories- attending the theatre, enjoying the fall colors in New England. I remember trying to spend the night in the same room that Lindbergh slept in, in Vermont. And our 2 weeks in Europe was amazing. Yes, you, afraid of heights, drank warm beer in a cafe at the Eiffel Tower while I went to the top. We made friends with Kathy and Bill in England, they had lost their travelers’ checks, had no money for a few days, and we chummed around with them. What a surprise- we then would see them at the Mark Taper Theatre with our season tickets. I saw them there for years after that trip. Nice people. Nice memories.
Adele, you and I lost touch, no reason, we just went on different journeys over the years. I hope you know you were an important part of my life, professionally, personally. Thank you for being my mentor. Thank you for being my friend.
Andrea Street
