The Post In Which I Talk About Falling in Love with Reading

In second grade, I had a teacher who looked just like Princess Diana. Her name was Mrs. Pam Williamson, and she thought I was a pretty incredible kid. I know that's the case because she told me that a lot. She was kind and sweet and terribly funny. The cool thing about Mrs. Williamson is that she's still that way. I know this because my niece was lucky enough to have her last year. She would come home telling me about sweet things Mrs. Pam told her and dissolving into a giggle fit when she demonstrated how Mrs. Pam danced the "Cha Cha Slide" with them. And I know that Mrs. Pam loves her job. I had the pleasure of attending the Lake City Tobacco Festival to watch my niece dance this year. Mrs. Pam was there in the audience because her daughter dances with the same studio. However, when my niece was on the stage, Mrs. Pam had her phone out, grinning and taking pictures. Afterward, she gave Anna Cate the biggest hug and told her how proud she was.

Mrs. Williamson is important to me not only because she remains one of the best teachers I ever had but because she helped me fall in love with reading. I'm not just talking about picking up a book casually here and then and tolerating it; I read voraciously, devouring any book I encounter. This is primarily because of Mrs. Williamson.

When I was in second grade, she read aloud to us every single day. At that point, reading had always been important at home as I come from a family of lifelong readers. However, the way Mrs. Williamson read was different. I remember sitting in her class listening to her read Shoeshine Girl by Clyde Robert Bulla. As she read, it was almost as though I could smell the shoe polish as she described the girl polishing the shoes. I remember what we read in her class more than any class I ever took. She drew us into a world of Fleischman's The Whipping Boy. I was introduced to New York through George Shelden's The Cricket in Times Square. Even though LeVar Burton from "Reading Rainbow" tried to convince me that reading could take me places, Mrs. Pam Williamson was the first person who actually showed me that.

Last year, I read 104 books, and I know that's something that would have never happened if I had not been exposed to the enjoyment of reading in second grade. Because of her, I try to instill that same love of reading in every child I teach. I try to show them that reading can transport you to another time or place and that it can teach you empathy. This Teacher Appreciation Month, I honor and appreciate the teacher who introduced me to my favorite hobby and a whole huge world that I never knew existed. Thank you, Mrs. Pam. I've never stopped reading.

My weekend reading stack...