This year, on Sunday, May 12, we will take a day to celebrate the mothers in our lives. Whether by blood or circumstance, the women we call mothers shape our morals and nurture us into the people we become. Similarly, the hours we spend in school with our teachers shape our future success and teach us valuable life lessons. The Hoofprint staff was lucky enough to sit down with three Myers Park teachers who are mothers or grandmothers themselves to gain some insight into the various aspects and overlaps of motherhood and education.
Mrs. Harris, mother to two girls (five and seven years old) teaches world history. Although she generally teaches seniors she believes that her students are more similar to her young daughters than one might think. Harris stated, “My students might have different challenges than I face with my girls but the same patience and understanding is needed at the end of the day.” She believes, “Keeping patience with my students and remembering that they’re just kids who are learning how to go through life exactly how my little ones are” is a major overlap between her work and home life. Mrs. Hamm, the school’s security monitor, is the mother to two sons and ten grandchildren aged 2-22. While not a teacher, she believes that, “guiding children, directly or indirectly” is a characteristic of both education and motherhood. Ms. Blackert, an IB math teacher, has a sophomore and a senior here at the park herself. She agreed with Hamm, explaining, “While we aren’t our students’ parents, we see them for a large portion of the day so it’s our responsibility to help them learn some of the things they need to develop as they grow.” Expanding on that, Blackert believes it’s a big responsibility of both mothers and teachers to care for the health of student’s brains. She says, “Especially since COVID, a lot more students struggle with their mental health and as a parent, I want to protect my children and help them, and I try to do the same with my students in the classroom.”
Mothers are full of life experience and wisdom that goes way beyond their children’s years. Surprisingly enough, they had to learn it from somewhere too. These teachers were each guided through life by their mothers and various other strong female figures, the advice which they carry into their motherhood as well as the classroom. Harris specifically shouted out Mrs. Allison, an English teacher at the Park, whom she’s known for the past 20 years. Harris said, “I watched her kids grow up and she’s watched my kids grow so I’ve always gone to her for advice. She always says that [childhood] goes by so fast, they’re only going to need you and want you for a few more years until they just want to see their friends or not need you anymore so you need to cherish every moment now.” Blackert was advised not to expect perfection out of anyone, especially yourself. She expressed, “All we can do is our best. We know that we’re making decisions and doing things that we think at the time we think are the right thing to do and then we learn that maybe it wasn’t working or whatever but we just learn from it and not punish ourselves.” Alternatively, Hamm believes the one thing that is perfection is showing compassion. In her closing statement, she said “ Always let your children know that you love them. Be patient and kind as they learn and grow.”
This Mother’s Day, and the rest, make sure to show the mothers in your life how much you appreciate them. We owe so much (if not our whole lives) to them so take some time to give back!