Saturday, October 29, 2011

Emily (Krehlik) Buck

Ms. McKenna was my English teacher during the 2000-2001 school year at JDHS.  Like many of my former classmates have pointed out she had rigorous expectations of her students.  She expected nothing less than the best, and that always meant best thinking and communication.  One of my most vivid memories in her class was about a particular poetry assignment.  Each student had to choose a poem and "interpret" it for the class (this is what I remember at least).  I had chosen a poem that vividly described a scene in a Jamaican market.  I remember wanting to meet her expectations, and the only things coming to mind to interpret the poem were tie-dyes and rainsticks.  In my mixed-up teenage brain I orchestrated a rather wild dance routine (cheerleader fashion) that involved me wearing a tie-dye outfit and counting the ryhthm of the poem with shakes of a rain stick.  Writing about it now, I can still feel my fear and embarrassement as I shared my interpretation of the poem with the class.  As I finished, I was shocked to see Ms. McKenna laughing hysterically and asking me to come back and do the same presentation for a second period and be videotaped!  As a teacher myself, I often think of this particular memory and remember how I felt honored to be sharing my work with my teacher and classmates.  Ms. McKenna had a way of creating a safe community space for students to share their wild and thoughtful work.  At the beginning of every school year I think of the importance of creating a safe community to share in, and Ms. McKenna and her class community come to mind.  She was a phenomenal teacher of students, and she's continuign to teach me, now as a teacher myself.

-Emily (Krehlik) Buck

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