Last month, I responded to a reader’s question looking for someone who would come to your home to do haircuts for those unable to get out. The overall answer was that there is no one – until I received a referral from Community Benefit Tree. They highly recommend Lori Evers. Her business is appropriately named “Hair at Home” and she has been going to homes of elderly and homebound clients for over 20 years. Her phone is 920-540-2174. Give her a call.
On to another subject. This year, I will be celebrating my 50th high-school class reunion! Holy cow!
It got me thinking about how our teachers set a foundation for all of us and the life-long impact they had on us.
Looking back, (a long time ago) my most memorable teacher was Mrs. Balliet. “Sis” to her friends. She taught my fifth-grade class at St. Mary’s Elementary School in Appleton. She was firm, fun, creative, and kind; truly a no-nonsense teacher, yet a pleasure to learn from. Later in life, she and her husband were friends of my parents, so I would run into them often. I would always say, “Hello, Mrs. Balliet.” To which she would reply, “You can call me Sis.” Nope, I never could. That would have felt disrespectful.
These past few months, I helped a teacher who also had been at St. Mary’s in the other fifth grade class. She is Chris Rettler, and she just published a memoir on her 60 years as a teacher. Mrs. Rettler taught alongside Mrs. Balliet, and it was obvious that the two of them enjoyed each other because I can still hear their laughter as they worked together.
Mrs. Rettler’s book is Just One More Potato Chip. A sixty-year Love affair: Teaching in a noble profession. She explains her title: “Can anyone eat just one potato chip when a full bowl sits beside you? I know I can’t. I found it almost impossible to conclude teaching in my so-called retirement years.”
In her book, Mrs. Rettler shares her passion for teaching. She is truly a servant-leader. You will laugh at her adventures in Appleton at St. Mary’s and St. Joe’s schools, where she taught for seventeen years. She also moved on to other Wisconsin schools and colleges. Even if she was not your teacher, you will relate to the stories and see school from the teacher’s point of view.
My favorite line from her book is: “A teacher’s nightmare: tying a wet shoelace when it has not been raining.”
Life turned full circle – Mrs. Rettler taught me back then, and now, I was able to guide her through the process of publishing her book.
You can find Rettler’s book by putting “Chris Rettler” in the search bar on Amazon.
Rettler explains that she “found it almost impossible to conclude teaching in her retirement years.” And that her “search for future teaching opportunities is over.” She says, “My bowl is empty, and it’s time to share my incredible story.”
I have a message for you, Mrs. Rettler: Your bowl is not empty! In sharing your stories, you have simply found a new bag of chips to continue teaching and inspiring us.