My Favorite Teacher
By Renee Bacon 2/12/13
2013 winning Essay
Renee Bacon
2/12/2013
Carol Whittington was my 6th grade teacher, and a great one at that. Teachers always say they love their students, but Mrs. Whittington really did. You could tell. She wasn’t like all the other teachers. In the beginning of my 6th grade year, not many people liked her class, but as the year went on, she made our year an unforgettable one. Yes, she was hard on us, but that was only because she cared and knew that if we were pushed to our limits, we would succeed. She had a loving but firm way of showing it.
Mrs. Whittington was always there for her students. We even had her home phone number, and I know I used it a couple of times just to make sure I was doing something right with my assignment. She could read us like a book, and if we needed that extra something, she knew what to do. We all held a special place in her heart.
Every year, we had a Grandparents Chapel, and I always invited my grandma and grandpa. For some reason, this year, neither of them showed. I was devastated. I told my teacher I did not have my grandparents with me, and she told me everything would be okay. She gave me a hug, and we all sat down. When all the students went on stage to introduce their grandparents, I sat there alone, wishing mine would just magically appear. I looked up to see all my friends holding the hands of their grandmas and grandpas, and when everyone was clapping, Mrs. Whittington grabbed my hand, and walked both of us onto that stage! She took that role and was my grandma for that day! She knew just how to turn my frown upside down. I will never forget what she did for me. Mrs. Whittington, you will always hold a very special place in my heart, too!
I copied Renee Bacon’s essay “My favorite Teacher” to my computer on Nov. 14, 2023 just 12 days after Carol had passed away. To me, this was a tribute to my wife of 62 years. I may hear others at her memorial on Dec, 2, 2023 but this brought tears of joy and thankfulness for this memory of Carol and her work and love for her students.
Thank you Renee Bacon. I hope and pray you get a chance to read this.