Mama Made the Difference [antikvár]

^H 16 da a t i6 n TIMELESS TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM OF LIFE I'll never iorget the feeling of entering that room for the first time. After walking dow n the hill from my h(Uise with my mother, 1 strolled ner\ ously dinvn the long, never-ending hallway amidst the chattering hustle of others my size and many more who were much larger than my boyhood frame. Nervousness, excitement, a little fear, and a large dose of curiosity infused my system with its powerful elixir, hiside the room that would become a kind of second home to me for the next nine months, 1 scanned the brightly colored bulletin boards, the blackboard with what appeared to be someone's name printed on it, the green border above it with its neatly scrolled alphabet letters that I would soon be expected to master, the numerous rows of desks and chairs that were just my size. The place smelled of chalk dust and ammonia, laced with the scent of daisies from the bouquet on the teacher's desk, and perhaps just a hint of her sweet perfume. As I peered in, other curious faces looked back at me, each of them just as enthused and terrified as 1 was at this first day of school. Mrs. Dills looked up at me and smiled and 1 felt like school might not be so bad after all. At that moment 1 let go of my mother s hand, she who had guided me through the labyrinthine halls of this new, strange and