Dear Editor:
“It is a shame for me to be idle when it takes so little to keep me busy.” This motto of my Scottish maternal great-grandmother rings through my ears as I begin and end each day. One of the things that consistently appears on my hefty “to do” list has been this long-overdue letter to The Dispatch, thanking the many people who have made this final year of my 41-year teaching career such a special one.
At the top of the list is the “Educator of the Year” award which has given so much joy, pleasure, and satisfaction to me. Every single activity related to this honor has brought a smile to my face and put a spring in my step. How can I properly thank the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation for this honor? I want to thank Jackie Stevens and Rhoda Bress for the uncounted hours they put into the nomination process, David Bress, and Kat Teraji for thoughtful articles which included me. My husband Charles no doubt spent a great deal of time secretly creating the list of those who might be interested in writing a letter of support for the nomination.
I read those letters with delight and a feeling of humility. Each one was written with reflection and sensitivity. Who knew the effect my actions had on my colleagues, students, and their parents? Nearly every day someone encourages me by telling me the selection was an appropriate one.
The frosting on the cake was having our son, Lee, a college professor in Indiana, surprise me and appear on our doorstep the afternoon of the banquet. Both of my sons have given me so many moments of pleasure. We shared a warm moment when I was giving my speech and looked at Lee, with his hand over his heart, mouthing the words, “I’m so proud of you.” Our son Jon, house electrician at Flint Center, was doing lights for a Bill Maher performance on awards night. My emotion of missing him was soothed by learning that the two had a delightful time the night before, together at dinner, in anticipation of the family surprise.
When I went to the GHS senior play, “Pajama Game,” four of the characters had been in my classroom eight years ago. Two former students were in the orchestra. The production crew included four more along with the same number of parents of former students. After the play, a bevy of young folks told me their plans for the future, knowing that they are forever “mine” and that I’m always interested in what they are doing.
The question constantly asked is, “What in the world will you do when you retire?” I know that my great-grandmother’s motto will greet me daily, as I awaken and when I go to sleep. My mind is full of the possibilities. The first item on my agenda is planning our golden wedding anniversary gathering when we’ll be surrounded by members of our wedding party, family, and friends from around the country. One of the treasured items we’ll share that day is the tablecloth used at the golden anniversary celebration of my Scottish paternal grandparents in 1908, and on the same occasion at my parents’, and each of my four siblings before me. Indeed, “Tis a shame for me to be idle when it takes so little to keep me busy.”
Janice Krahenbuhl, Gilroy
