I used to be afraid of Belle. I was a long term substitute who had to teach the Civil War. I spent maybe one week on the Civil War in high school. I felt so lost that I must have reread the information on the Battle of Gettysburg six or seven times from the textbook. Then I would look across the lunch table at this confident and poised woman who had I know what I’m doing written all over her face. She spoke to students with an authority where no one questioned her and spoke to the teachers around her about details on Gettysburg that far outreached the knowledge I learned from a textbook. I simply felt screwed.
When I first became a full time teacher at the school, my fear for Belle turned into admiration. We began sharing resources and lesson ideas for many units. While working with her, I learned some of the depths that her mind reached. I began to realize that although our backgrounds seemed so different on the surface, that we really had the same beliefs and principles even though our exterior shells were so different.
Belle is a wife and mother to two beautiful boys, whose pictures make me want to have children of my own. She leads book clubs for children and adults. She puts together Veteran’s Day assemblies to honor our community’s heroes. She loves wine, books, and writing. Most importantly, she cares about her students, friends, and family.
Belle is my coworker, travel partner, and friend.
-Billie
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