I've been collecting my writings from years gone by as I find them. Each time I move - now 5 times in the last 3 years - I find more scraps, loose sheets, etc. with my thoughts from various times in my life. I've decided to copy as many of them as I can here to try and keep from losing them again, and to share with the world. Please feel free to comment as thoughts occur to you. Either send them to trekker9er@yahoo.com or use the comment links here. Thanks, and Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

 1996-1997 School Year - Letter to My 2nd Grade Teacher


Dear Mrs. Caviani,
        My name is Jennifer German. I don't know if you remember me, but I will never forget you. I was one of your second grade students at Allen elementary school during the 1985-86 school year. I had transfered to Allen just before 2nd grade from a private school, and then moved to Massachusetts the summer after with my mother and brother.
        I don't remember much from my year at Allen school. I do remember a piano and the Pledge of Allegence every morning, a number line along the top of one wall with negitive numbers and the alphabet in cursive along the same wall, the little bathroom, a firedrill, planting seedlings (or growing them), your smile, learning about the Earth, your pleasantness, and, of course, the NASA shuttle Challenger and its crew. My memories are all dreamlike, but I also remember having a wonderful time in school in 2nd grade, you were, and are, one of my favorite teachers.
        Recently I was asked to say who was the most influencial in my forming a love for science and why. I thought about my answer long and hard, and when I finally began to think about my life in Michigan, I realized that the answer was you. I believe that in 2nd grade, when you taught us about the Earth, outerspace, NASA, and whatever else, that was when my curiosity aobut the world was turned towards science and why/how things are/work. I want to thank you for helping to direct my interest at a young age so that I could develop a love for science. From this love of science I have developed a love for science-fiction, math, reading, and (most recently) writing.
        I also thought you would be interested in knowing what has become of one of your former students. I graduated 9th in my class last June from Arlington High School with a GPA of 3.76. I was accepted early admission to Harvard University in December of 1995. I am now a freshman living on campus, and loving it! I am planning to major in Engineering. I'm not sure which field yet, but I will (hopefully) graduate with a Bachlor of Sciences. I have three roommates and we get along well. So far I have not met the stereotypical Harvard student, but you would be surprised sometimes at the types of people who are here. Not only do we have types you would expect, like study-holics, over achievers, intellectuals, and true geniuses (not me!), we have party animals, drunks, ditzy-blonds (and brunetts), and even one student who accidentally set fire to his room with some pot he had thrown in the garbage can. But overall people are friendly, interesting, diverse, and as normal as can be expected.
        As for my interests and extra-curriculars, there aren't many because school takes up so much time. I am part of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus and am currently playing on an intramural co-ed basketball team. I work at a Pharmacy in my hometown, which is about 20 minutes by bus. I coach the Colorguard at my former High School, which happens during the fall. Also, I am
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Obviously I am missing the end of this letter. I also never sent it, as I have yet to track down my teacher so I could send it! I dated my writing of the letter by what I say in it, but my memory of writing it is next to my bed in the room that was mine at the house we lived in while I was in High School. So either I started one to Mrs. Caviani and rewrote it the next year, or my memory is just plan wrong (possible!).

Comments

KEF said:
:) Call up your old elementary school, set off the alarm :)

You'll feel more relieved, checking one of the to do's off your list.
 

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