There have been so many interesting transitions over the past year. One of those transitions being the retirement of my dad and now the retirement of one of the greatest teachers in all the land-Mrs. Amoscato (the original.) I wrote a poem on her behalf that I wish to place here as the second post in living "Outside the Neighborhood." Let's face it, the end of any vocation (be it good or bad) requires a shift in order to live outside the neighborhood you have been living in for so many years. However, in shifting times, it is also so important to celebrate the person undergoing the shifts and also leave time for tears-always a reminder that what was accomplished was life-changing in so many ways. Tears of joy mixed with tears of sadness. Letting go can be both happy and sad, and often is, when you know you have lived life the right way, with high expectations for yourself and others. 

 

When I was a youngster

I remember walking inside a post office

The carpet gray and the air smelled like

Fresh stamps 

And out of the corner of my eye

I saw someone wearing a baby blue t-shirt

On the back it said

In a whimsical font

Childhood is a Journey not a Race

I was so eager to tell my mom 

Who acted like this was the most

Beautiful gift of a phrase she had ever received

And assured me that this was the phrase that would

Deserve a place in her classroom

Stand the test of time

and remind her students that every mistake

Every artistic creation was part of a journey that deserved 

to take its time

And this t-shirt

Was also the start of a journey I would call mine

 

Though the years have passed by I feel like

That little girl again

In the post office but this time

Prepared to write a final letter and mail it with love

to one of my most remarkable 

And longstanding classroom teachers

Of all time

The one who has wiped away tears of both happiness and sadness

selfless

Instilled in me a sense of passion 

Ignited a love of learning and humanity

Always with zest, spunk

A sense of confidence and pride

Always full of wisdom

And sealed with humor 

 

Dear Mrs. Amoscato, 

 

I became a teacher 

Because I could not think of a profession more noble

Than the one I saw growing up

Helping set up from the time I was in elementary school

With my brother

With bulletin boards and unifix cubes and the reminder

That this classroom wasn’t just a classroom but a place full of magic

The only safe place for many 

Children

And we watched that transformation

Of magic

Every single year

come alive with every hand and heart that helped to make it fly 

In these precious moments you taught us

That love is an action and spelled with time

Creating excellence takes hours 

And sometimes unpacking 125 boxes into a new classroom

Is what it takes

Time to create

Time to imagine, explore and dream

Spending time on something shows you care

And caring is so very important.

In a world where sometimes speed is what we are after

Your classroom taught us otherwise

To slow down and take in

The vibrant colors of the world

And If you show you care. 

You can bet your students will care too

Children can feel the word care

Inside of them

Even better than adults

 

And those birthday crowns?

The ones laying crowded on our dining room table at night

With hearts, stars and hand picked colors, cut and measured and ready to be fit

They deserved to be saved

Because memories are precious and you won’t believe it

But one day you will wake up

And realize that birthday crown no longer

fits the way it used to

But you’ll remember who made it for you

And you’ll remember when the crown was placed

On your head

The smile that lit up the room

And how it made you feel

So alive and carefree

And full of hope

 

And those leftover bits of cabbage leaves

And sponges, paints and pencils

Papers and piles? Save them too. 

Sometimes hoarding is good. You always managed

To turn yogurt cups into pencil holders, old crayons into melted Reese's Cups

Pressed flowers into bookmarks 

As a lesson to us all that the best gifts 

Are created 

intentionally

Thoughtfully and meticulously

Full of simple tools and creative rainbow ideas

Creating makes us come alive

It makes the world come alive too

 

And the students that were placed in your classroom

Every year I learned

Were placed there for a special reason

We aren’t just teaching students but we are

Opening up thousands of stories 

Sometimes full of joy

And other times sorrow

And each living and breathing story deserves

To have someone who will 

Listen 

Laugh

And love into watercolor pages

Set the foundation for dreaming

And cooperating

And leading a life full of gratitude

And you

The ultimate story maker and story reader

Have done that with every 

Walking and breathing

Story that has unfolded within the walls

Of your classroom

And your tears when you have to say goodbye to them

Your family

Is just a living reminder that

you have made

Such a difference

 

And you realize as you look back

On those old pictures and memories of setting up and saying goodbye

And packing and unpacking your classroom

And helping me with my own classroom

Dancing and celebrating and creating

Laughing and crying

Field trips and picture days

Halloween parades and birthday readers

And through the winds of blowing change

That you were meant to be an educator

You experienced the power of what it means to have

Fulfilled a vocation that you were clearly molded

And crafted for

And you have done it with such grace

Such poise

A staircase of passion 

And a wall full of glitter stars that

Will carry Mrs. Amoscato’s Dream Team

And her legacy 

Forever

 

As one of your longest standing students 

It has been an absolute honor 

Being able to share this vocation with you 

Exchange stories and laughter

Tears of happiness and sorrow

And I cannot tell you how many times a year

I would say to myself

If only so and so would have been cared for 

The way Mrs. Amoscato cared for me

When I was growing up

Their story now would look so very different

Your love has been

So very powerful

and

This vocation does not end

When that last box is packed up

And the final hanging rainbow has been sent home

Because you have left part of your legacy

In the hearts of every single student you have taught with

Every colleague 

Every family

And of course 

your children and grandchildren

Who now become part of a new Amoscato Dream Team

 

And for the two Amoscatos left in the vocation

With humble hearts

We vow to spend a lifetime making you proud

And carrying your legacy with us

Pocketing wonderment

Sprinkling glitter

Designing rainbows of dreams

Amplifying voices and

Writing it on our hearts

That we are blessed to have

Entered a vocation where

We have the ability to change

Lives

And hearts

And make the world a more

Beautiful place

Life simply doesn’t get

Much better than this

 

So now in a different post office 

Twenty some years later

I look back on your envelope filled

With memories and students

Families you have impacted

And I smile

With tears of joy

And you should too

Because we know for you

What may seem like an ending

Is just the beginning 

Of something even greater

 

What an honor it has been to watch 

Your legacy come alive

 

Sealed and mailed with love and admiration, 

Your family