Letter to the Editor: We should all be like Mrs. Smith
Dear editor,
I heard a hundred second graders shrieking with delight as they flooded the playground at Grant Elementary one winter afternoon. They were competing in a mini-Iditarod and, above all of their excited voices, boomed the enthusiastic shouts of Donna Smith, second grade teacher extraordinaire.
We should all be like Mrs. Smith! 5 times I have been blessed to have a child in her class. That makes five years I have gotten to help in her classroom and soak up her goodness. I have never heard her raise her voice in anger, I have never heard her belittle a student or make light of an issue that was important to them. I have never heard her speak ill of any co-worker, parent, or any other person in the community.
I have seen her be patient in the most trying circumstances. I have seen her handle difficult issues with straightforward compassion and grace. I have seen her manage an excitable class without ever raising her voice in anger. I have seen her energize other teachers and be a force for good in our school and our community. I have seen her donate her time again and again to do things that are good for kids: breakfast club, soccer club, extra attention to a child who needs it. I have seen her participate in the breast cancer run when a student’s mom was fighting cancer, I have seen her help those around her in a thousand tiny ways. Any good thing that happens at school or in the community it seems like she is there with friends.
In this crazy world where peace often seems fleeting and elusive there is hope. There is patience. There is kindness, selflessness, generosity, and fun. There is Mrs. Smith.
We love you Mrs. Smith!
Lisa Lonsdale and family