This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go back to a place that I will always hold dear in my heart — Topeka, Kansas. That’s where I learned how to overcome my addictions, where I learned how to become “weller than well” during my eight-month hospitalization at the Menninger Clinic. That’s where I was when I got the news that Larry had been shot down over the Laotian jungle and I would have to start my life over without him. Topeka was where I kept one of my first promises to Larry, to finish my degree and become a teacher.
My first teaching assignment was what prompted me to return to Topeka last weekend for a reunion with the students and teachers who were with me at East Topeka Junior High in the 1970s. What a special occasion to be able to celebrate Fiesta Mexicana together in this beautiful city. We hadn’t seen each other for years and yet, as we rode together on our parade float, it felt like we had never been apart.
These were the people who embraced me and made me feel welcome when I was a brand new teacher. – with a distinctive Texas twang! We had such diverse backgrounds and interests, but one important thing in common – our devotion to delivering the best possible education to the young people of East Topeka. This school left a lasting impression on me, which I describe in my book.
We developed a team-teaching class called “Self-Expression through Communication and Social Interaction.” It integrated current events and literature about individuals who had made a difference in our country with the required social studies and English curriculum…We wanted to teach children to think and to consider the effects of leaders who had made a difference. Our lessons on the importance of looking beyond labels to the character of each individual impressed our students so much that they reversed their nicknames for us, calling me “Pepper” and my African-American colleague “Salt.”
I spent 14 years of my life in Kansas, and although I’ll always be a Texas girl, Topeka is beyond special to me too. Those were the kids who taught me to teach.
Teaching is the gift that never stops giving. Both to our students in the love of learning they get, and the love they give back when we see them as adults. Teachers are the family away from home for many. Dr. Manning, not only are you and educator that stands by my side, you are also a teacher I look up to.
Hi Tyra!
Just finished your book a couple days ago. What a gift that book is and will continue to be–a real legacy of the heart. I love that you have been able to go back to places that were so important to you and find that friendship that never goes away. I love your sentence in this blog about it being a place where the kids taught you to be a teacher. I feel that was similar for me–so often the kids I taught were great teachers of often the most fundamental/important lessons of life.
Wishing you the best! Wish I could have been in the Chicago area when you came back for your book launching. I know it was a special time. Take care!
Hi Tyra, I just completed the book about your compelling story. The book was passed along to me by a mutual acquaintance in Topeka. I am not a “book reader” but I read yours in less than a week. Once started, I couldn’t seem to put it down. Please accept my congratulations on the successful completion of your new book. I immensely enjoyed reading about the details and conclusion to your story.