ABSOLUTELY had a favorite
teacher, Mr. Watson, who taught
ninth-grade honors biology. One of
his favorite sayings was “I don’t require
perfection. I just expect it.”
It was more than Mr. Watson’s dedica-
tion to his subject and his students, though,
that made him my favorite teacher. My
world was topsy-turvy, and I did my best
to hide my abusive childhood. One day, Mr.
Watson said he needed a babysitter, and I
enthusiastically responded. I became their
go-to babysitter for the next four years. His
family invited me to church, and we just
hung out at times. Mr. Watson was a fabu-
lous male role model, and his family wel-
comed me with open arms.
His example as a teacher, a man, a
father and just an all-around human being
gave me stability and hope that was desperately needed at that time in my life.
Student: Dawn Sha;er Shuler
Teacher: Mr. Watson
School: MacArthur High School, Irving, TX
NN MOLLOY
was a teacher
in the truest
sense of the word.
While her position title
at my high school was
“librarian,” she was
one of those rare people
who inspired others to
do and be their best.
When she arrived in ;;;; (my sophomore year), I’d had no thoughts (yet) of
continuing my education beyond a high
school diploma. She inspired me by recognizing my potential, nurturing it often and
A
I
Ann Molloy
Dawn Shaffer Shuler’s
report card from her
1988–1989 school year.
HEAD OF THE CLASS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
of bread, slathered with our own butter.
Miss Bell also was a grammarian who
insisted on proper diction, enunciation
and pronunciation, and stayed after
school coaching any and all students who
needed to hone those skills. She made
school exciting, fun, horizon-expanding
and eye-opening, and she taught us how to
acquire the keys to the kingdom through
education.
I am still wide-eyed with wonder at the
world around me and don’t plan to stop
learning as long as I am here.
Student: Nancy Nespechal
Teacher: Miss Bell
School: Ella Townsend Elementary School
Montebello, CA
ISS BELL was my hero in first
grade. She was an amazing
instructor, teaching us to read,
She believed that we city kids needed to
understand how the world around us
worked, including where our food really
came from beyond the grocery stores, bakeries, the milk delivery man, etc.
Over the course of the year, we took
field trips to a chicken hatchery, a dairy, a
bakery, a grocery store and a farmers market (with a trip to La Brea Tar Pits for natural history squeezed in). At the end, we
made butter, and each of us presented our
parents with a cookie-cutter-formed slice
M
f
’
me
h
a
enthusiastically responded. I became their
j
hung out at times. Mr. Watson was a fabu-
i
His example as a teacher, a man, a
e
An example,
and a lifeline
Teaching life skills
An inspiration to learn
Miss Bell, far left, showed students a world beyond the classroom.
Nancy Nespechal is in the front row, second from left.
guiding me in gentle ways to improvement. Her expectations of us demanded
that we give our best, so I worked a bit
more on my studies away from the library.
She was profoundly instrumental in
awakening my potential, and all of my studies thereafter are a tribute to her. I managed
to complete two master’s degrees and my
doctorate. For all of your guidance in my
formative years, thank you, Mrs. Molloy!
Student: Thomas Kite
Teacher: Ann Molloy
School: St. Genevieve High School,
Panorama City, CA
“ She was profoundly instrumental in awakening
my potential …”
—THOMAS KITE
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