Personal Childhood Web

My grandmother only had an 8th grade education, but she could stretch a dollar.  She grew up during the depression and raised her brothers and sisters while her mother worked in the cotton fields.  As a child growing up whenever we went to visit she would always let me cook with her.  She would cook a lot from scratch; you rarely saw her using a recipe.  Even when I wasn’t sure of what to add next she was always reassuring in a calm positive voice.  This was always our time together, as the other grandchildren did want to learn to cook.  Grandmother’s ability to cook without a recipe and have the dish taste delightful has lead to the way I have taught my daughter to cook.  I often will mix ingredients in from different recipes to make a new dish.

My dad is a mid-mannered man.  He always backed me in decisions with my sisters.  Dad continuously encouraged me to be the best I could be.  When I would make a mistake he would support me in the choice I choose to correct the problem.  Dad was the only one who had the patience to teach me to drive a stick shift car. The patience and guidance he instilled in me allowed me to teach two of my friends to drive stick shift.   The loving care that was and is still given by my father has allowed me to raise my daughter as a single parent with the same love and guidance.

In 5^th grade my teacher was inspirational.  Every morning she was at the door greeting each student with a “Good Morning (Student Name)”.  The day always started on a positive note and she would continuously try to make sure our days ended the same way.  If I had a bad day she would call you to the side and ask if she could help.  She showed compassion to us by showing an interest in our day our lives.  As an educator now I make it a point to greet my students first thing every morning.  This also opens the door for my students to let me know that their morning wasn’t as pleasant.

As a child growing up my aunt would invite me over to help take care of her horses.  My aunt was a loud outspoken individual.  She was the type of person that she would tell you just how she felt.  She felt everyone should know the truth even if feelings were hurt.  My aunt taught me how important it is to take care of something.  She instilled that when you commit to something it is responsibility to follow through with the plan.  My aunt believed speaking out was the best practice, however I have learned over the years to stop and think before I speak as not to hurt people’s feelings or create a catastrophe within my job.

My grandfather was an interesting creative man.  He could put things together or invent items from spare parts he had around the house.  He did create some amazing gadgets that actually work.  My grandfather was frugal with money preferring to fix things rather than buying new.  He taught me the value of money and the respect for the items I own.  To this day I will try and fix items before I have to buy anything new.