Mrs. Linda Burrell was such a great teacher, I contacted her when I, too, became a middle school English teacher. I told her how much I enjoyed her 7th grade English class. She managed to make 7th hour fun and interesting - not easy to do in English class during the last hour of the school day.

We were able to choose from a long list of activities and assignments for our grades in many of her units. (This in a time of ditto sheets and individual seat work.) In fact, I still have many of my creations from her class. A journal collage, a newspaper, a collection of poetry, and a movie poster for a book I liked - my poster was for Madeline L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time.”

My favorite part of the year was Halloween. It was in Mrs. Burrell’s class that I learned about Edgar Allen Poe and his work. We read his short stories and listened to them on records or tapes, complete with creepy narrator and spooky sound effects. Listening to the beating of “The Tell-Tale Heart,” in the mid afternoon is still scary when you’re 12 years old!

One of our assignment choices for that unit was to build a life size monster and write his/her description and origin story. Mrs. Burrell had a room full of monsters by Halloween! What fun!!

When I contacted Mrs. Burrell, she had become the Jarrett Junior High librarian. I told her about my own career choice and what a positive influence she had on me when I was her student. She said she would see what she could find and maybe send some things. How sweet!

I received a fairly large envelope in the mail shortly afterward. Imagine my surprise when I opened it and found Mrs Burrell’s plans for her entire Halloween unit, including tapes of Edgar Allen Poe stories! Mrs. Burrell’s personal notes in pencil were in the margins of the blue ditto ink, faded by time.

That year, my English students in 6th and 7th grades filled my room with life-sized monsters. We enjoyed many of the same stories and activities that Mrs. Burrell shared with her students many years ago. I hope my students enjoyed them as much as I had.

??Thank you to Mrs. Burrell, and all of the teachers who contributed to my public school education!! I acknowledge and appreciate all you did for your students!!??

Dedicated to Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Talbot (Rolla, MO), and to Mrs. Rainwater, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Haney, Mrs. Morrow, and Mrs. Hampton, Mark Twain Elementary School, Springfield, MO.
Also dedicated to all of my Jarrett Junior High and Parkview High School teachers!