A Noteworthy Teacher

I was thinking about who I could honor today for a woman in history that was noteworthy. Of course teachers are close to my heart, because I have always loved being in the classroom, and love children. I have always believed that my students gave more to me than I ever could to them. So I began on my search for a famous noteworthy teacher; however the story of Christy by Catherine Marshall kept on coming to my mind. The story is so captivating. It tells of a well to do young girl that leaves her home to go to a mission in the mountains of Tennessee to teach. It is in a one room school house, to a bunch of very poor children, with very little materials or resources to help her. She had never taught before. This character of Christy was actually the author's mother, who is the one that really should get the honor. Her name is Leonora Whitaker Wood and she was around 19 years old when she decided against her parents wishes to go to the remote mission and teach. It was difficult from day one but she had sheer determination as she faced one obstacle and struggle after another. She retold her story to her daughter Catherine and that is how the novel Christy came into being, so some of the novel is imagination, but for the most part it was the recollection of memories of Leonora's adventures, struggles, and journey of faith in God. I learned a lot about her dedication to teaching from both the book and movie. What if our teachers today all had that same dedication and love for their students? She didn't have to worry about a union or a strike, or pay cut...she barely got paid! Anyway, her life is worthy of noting . Her daughter Catherine Marshall does indeed deserve honor for capturing her story so well; but I think we forget that under all of it there was a true hero that needs to be honored as a very determined, woman full of vim, vigor and stamina to live in those rugged, primitive mountains and teach for practically nothing, with hardly any books. Besides loving the character of Christy, my next favorite is Alice Henderson(also created after a real person-Mary Warren). She is probably partly responsible for many of the practical lessons that Leonora learned while living amongst those mountain people. Here is one of the quotes:"...wallowing in self condemnation or feeling sorry for yourself is worse than falling on your face in the first place~ ~So Thee is human." So you get my vote for Noteworthy Teacher Award.......Leonora Whitaker Wood....Teacher to Appalachian Children.