Remarkable People I Have Known: My Spanish Teacher

I had two Spanish teachers in high school.  They were as different as croissants and bagels.  In their way they were both remarkable though I have elected the woman who taught me in grades nine and ten for this little post.  But first, a word about my grade eleven Spanish class:

It was my first year in senior secondary school.  My home room teacher, whom I will here name the "Silver Dollar Lady" was also my Spanish teacher and Spanish class would seamlessly follow our morning home room session.  My cousin sat at the desk in front of me.  He was often asleep in class and it was rather amusing having to poke and nudge him awake, as well as entertaining to the other students.  He eventually entered politics and became an elected Member of the provincial legislature (MLA), by which time we had long lost contact with each other.

The Silver Dollar Lady was, well, silver.  She had perfectly coiffed silver hair, wore silver toned makeup and eye shadow, and tons of silver jewelry that she bought in Mexico.  It was thought that she even ate silver dollar pancakes every morning for breakfast.  Spanish was her second language and every time my cousin would pronounce the c and z sounds as th in pure Castilian she would rudely and sharply correct him.

The Silver Dollar Lady had also a certain notoriety, shared with two other teachers in our school with whom she was friends.  They were likely hard drinkers and one girl in a class I was in mentioned running into them in a pub one day when she skipped classes, during lunch hour, getting three sheets to the wind.  They also played and took bets on horse races.  Illegally.  The Silver Dollar Lady, at the time of my class with her was in the middle of fighting a court battle or two as she had been charged with being a bookie.

What a contrast from my first Spanish teacher whom I would describe in one word as "enlightened."  She was perhaps in her late forties, beautiful in an understated makeup-free way.  She had class in the most unpretentious and authentic way: a calm, cultured, intelligent and focussed presence.  A kind, patient and respectful presence.  This was the first teacher by whom I'd ever felt treated with respect.  She loved us, but she also totally respected our autonomy.

She taught us how to work together, cooperatively in small groups.  At the age of fifteen I entered into mature relationships with my fellow students in her class.  We supported and backed each other up.  She always saw what was best in each one of us, and in her quiet, patient and gentle way would summon that beautiful essence to surface in each one of us.

This was the one single teacher who really inspired me, and I like to think that I carry with me still something of her influence.  She role-modelled dignity.

Thanks to her I opted to resume learning Spanish, properly and thoroughly, which I now speak fluently as a second language.  Thank you Mrs. Elliot, thank you from the bottom of my heart!