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E-mail StoryDay of the Teacher: Take a minute to say a silent thanks Wednesday
Local residents share their memories of how special teachers shaped their careers and lives
| Saturday, May 10 2008 10:00 AM
Last Updated: Thursday, May 8 2008 4:18 PM
Robin Mangarin, Executive producer/anchor, KGET-TV, Channel 17
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When Robin Mangarin was in her third grade (pictured) she wrote a poem, which she still remembers by heart today, that her teacher loved.
Robin Mangarin of KGET 17, present day.
Lillian Tafoya
Milton M. Younger
Bob Hampton
Annette Rasmussen
Trish Froehlich
Claude Fiddler back in his school days.
I remember the moment as if it were yesterday. Mrs. Kaiser, my third-grade teacher at Sierra Elementary School in Lancaster, asked me to meet her after class to talk.
I could not have been more frightened. I carefully went back over the entire day. No notes were written to my best friend Laura, I didn’t think I talked in class. I was literally sweating as I sat in my chair waiting for her to look up from her desk. She riffled through a stack of papers and came out with just one. She knelt down beside me and showed me the poem.
“We are children of the earth; while our minds are filled with mystic meanings, the love in our hearts and the warmth of a gentle hug shows we are children of God.” It was my poem and she told me it was one of the best poems she had ever read.
Mrs. Kaiser then entered the poem in a national contest, which I won. From that day on, my love of words and writing took flight, leading me to a career that I treasure and an opportunity to tell stories that could make a difference in another person’s life.
Lillian Tafoya, Bakersfield City School District, school board member
The following Chinese proverb illustrates my public education experience. “A child’s life is like a piece of paper by which every passerby leaves his mark.”
I loved every day of my public school experience. It began as a first-grader in a little red brick schoolhouse in Red Cliff, Colo., and culminated when I graduated as valedictorian of a small graduating class in Santa Cruz, N.M.
My first-grade teacher, Mrs. Zimmerman, set me up for success. I recall having the privilege of circulating around the room and assisting other students who needed help with vocabulary as they were reading. I knew then I was destined to be a teacher.
Although every teacher “passer-by” left a positive and indelible mark on me as they shaped my life through books, facts and rich educational experiences, it was my high school principal that had the greatest impact on my life. My parents were blessed with 11 children but their financial status was not as abundant. It was my principal that mentored me and helped me access a scholarship that enabled me to attend college and to nurture the seed planted by my first-grade teacher. My principal’s name was Cleo Tafoya (no relation). Little did I dream that eventually I, too, would become a Tafoya and a principal.
My strong belief is that every child has a spark of greatness. I was blessed that my first-grade teacher ignited that spark in me; a spark that evolved into a flaming torch that was fueled by all of my successive teachers.
Milton M. Younger, Bakersfield attorney
I was born and raised in Bakersfield, attended public schools here and have practiced law with the firm of Chain, Younger, Cohn & Stiles for 52 years.
The good public school education I received at Franklin, Emerson and Bakersfield High School made possible my further education at Stanford and Standford Law School and my legal career.
Teachers such as Edith Fox at Franklin, who emphasized the joy of writing, and Carolyn Harris, my first-grade teacher, who once said: “You talk so much, you would be a good lawyer” made a great difference in my life. We need to increase our support for public education in Bakersfield.
Bob Hampton, Kern High School District trustee
I love public education. (I am) sometimes called “Kern County’s No. 1 cheerleader for public education.” Whatever I have achieved could not have been accomplished without the relationships with the teachers I’ve had.
Teacher who made a difference: My high school counselor and baseball coach, Monty Reedy.
Annette Bright Rasmussen, Standard School District governing board member
I was born in Modesto at the height of the Great Depression, 1929. My dad had a sixth-grade education, and my mom was a graduate of San Jose State Normal. From my earliest memories, I played school to a class of dolls and pets. Public education became the key to unlock the future for me and my family. Public education became a way of life to better yourself and become a contributor to society. What my folks lacked in money for my education was replaced by a healthy view of getting this education through hard work and extra jobs.
Public education supplied an excellent junior college in Modesto, which I used as a foot stool to graduate from San Jose State College. In 1951, I began a 50-year journey within the school system as a teacher of fifth-eighth grades.
In 1960, I married Bill Rasmussen and moved to Kern County. I had the pleasure of being a public school teacher for Beardsley School District and later transferred to Standard School District. The N.O.R. area gave me an appreciation of the needs of a community supplied by the partners in education, the community and the public schools.
A true educator is taught by the children you teach. It is a constant cycle of caring, learning, and growing physically, mentally, and emotionally within the community we call public education.
I treasure the years I have been allowed to enjoy and work for the public schoolchildren of the state of California.
Trish Froelich, Rosedale Union School District trustee
Public education is important to all of us. We know knowledge is power and a key ingredient in life. Public education has given me more than a formal education; it has provided me with the social skills, confidence and determination to tackle many tasks in my life.
My education in the public school system inspired me to teach and become an educator. I value the experiences I have been given and want children in our communities to have all the tools they need to become lifelong learners.
Each teacher in our lives makes a difference in who we become. But Mrs. Harmon at Stine Elementary School stands out in my mind. She was my fourth-grade teacher. Thank you, Mrs. Harmon, for showing me, with effort and hard work, I could do anything. You taught me to believe in myself.
Claude Fiddler, Retired petroleum engineer and community activist
My education during the late 1930s and 1940s in the Los Angeles City Schools prepared me for a 50-year career in the oil and gas industry. My grade school and high school classes prepared me for college and to develop my social skills to manage large groups of people.
My mother was not afforded the opportunity to go to high school. She became a seamstress apprentice at age 16 (1917).
My father had to quit school at age 16 (1916) when his father became ill and was unable to work. He took his father’s job on the railroad. I was the first person in my family to complete high school. My parents were very proud and supportive.
The devotion of my teachers and their interest in me as an individual was very important during the first 12 years of my education. Three teachers made a huge contribution to my life: Mr. Wright, my eighth- and ninth-grade math instructor, who recognized my talent in math. Mr. Bullock, my advanced math and science teacher, who sparked my interest in math and science. Finally, Mr. Heinz, my mechanical drawing instructor, who fostered an excellence in my drawing work and attention to detail. These traits have rewarded me greatly in my business life.