Yep, that’s me, age 3. Why is my head tilted to the side? For whatever reason I was terrified of the photographer.
I distinctly remember that day. It’s one of my core memories. My Mother forcing me into that dress and those itchy tights. Everyone trying to console and convince me into lifting my head for my preschool portrait.
I was one of those kids that sucked my thumb into late childhood so I remember utilizing that crutch in desperation as I stood in line waiting for what probably was only a matter of moments but seemed like an eternity, as the bees buzzed around our heads.
If you look closely, you can see the purple lilacs in the background of my photograph. It was a beautiful setting for class portraits and if you’re familiar with the Montessori way, you completely understand the intent and value behind conducting preschool class portraits outdoors, in the midst of nature and bees and all the things that this experience would provide a 3 year old, sitting there, on top of a wooden stool, being asked to raise her head and smile.
While I refused to lift my head or show my teeth, I did manage to give a tiny smile.
This was my childhood—refusal, rebuttal & resistance.
This was also my childhood—outdoors, nature & exploration.
ALL of which I’m grateful for.
This is where my Montessori preschool teacher, Davina Anderson Greene, or as we knew her, GoGo, comes in…
I wasn’t an easy child. I was impulsive, reactive & emotional. I was overweight and had awful allergies which led to being bullied. My siblings were all much older and already out of the home when I was born, so I was raised as if I were an only child. I struggled with making friends because I was loud and socially awkward.
I’m laughing to myself as I write this because I just had a major epiphany—I was like a mirror image of my dog Sunny! #faceinpalm #shewasmeantforme
WOW! Anyway…
GoGo somehow knew how to meet my needs. She was the most warm, caring, understanding teacher. Her intuition was always spot on. She would take my hand and guide me into a safe space where I could succeed. She helped the others learn how to interact with me and I, with them.
When I close my eyes, I can still see her, clear as day, in her youth…my preschool teacher…
Soft, thick, chestnut brown hair. Freckles. A warm, genuine smile that made you want to hug her. She never wore much makeup, maybe just a touch of light powder. Casual, comfortable clothing.
When I was sad she would scoop me up in her lap, rock me back and forth as she sang her opening songs with the class. When I was having a tough time, she would wrap her arm around me, guide me along, giving me the confidence and boost I needed to believe in myself. When I was angry and overwhelmed with emotion—yes, I’m an Aries, I have a fiery side—she would give me a special assignment. So the teacher’s aide and I would head to the kitchen to work on something that always seemed to calm me down.
She just knew…
And it shaped me…
Like an arborist pruning their trees.
She was pruning all of us. One by one. Limb by limb. Ever so gently, to prepare us for life beyond that little house.
I am deeply blessed and grateful for my childhood and for having GoGo as my preschool teacher. The best part of this story is that she is still in my life. Yep! You read that right—40 years later, I still talk with my preschool teacher. She’s THAT wonderful!
I want to now give back to others, the things I was so blessed to have, through my Heart and Wonder Stories book collection. I can only pray that I’m able have the kind of impact that GoGo had on us. The kind that prunes you, shapes you. The kind that lasts a lifetime.
Thank you GoGo, from the bottom of my heart, with love.