A Legacy

Every morning when I open up the closets for the children, I take a moment to imagine all the years my room has served as a place of learning. The building is nearing a century old and (I believe) the closets are the only original feature still in tact. Today and older woman knocked on the door of my classroom. She had gone to the school as a child and had attended first grade in my very classroom. She looked around and marvelled at the fact that the children were happy, working together, their little voices buzzing about. She told me that when she had been a child, there was one rule of first grade: No Talking!. I laughed. I can't honestly imagine a first grade classroom without talking. "The kids have to talk!" I said, "They're still acquiring language." She giggled and continued by saying that the children used to be seated in rows and that the desks filled the room from wall to wall. She also added that many famous people have attended my school. This surprised me a bit. I had imagined that perhaps over the years some students may have achieved some level of success, but what she said next floored me. She gave the name of an EXTREMELY famous historical author and said that he had attended my school. Unfortunately, I can't give the name here since my school came up when I googled it along with his name, but I can tell you that the very fact that this person passed through these hallways, perhaps sat at a desk in my classroom, fills me with a sense of importance. One day my students may be influential and inspiring to a whole generation the way this person was. I think I may print out his picture and show it to the students tomorrow. Although they won't know who he is, they will feel the importance and history housed in our crumbling building.