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From: matthew
Date: 9/5/99
Time: 3:28:56 PM
Remote Name: 152.163.201.201
Many people have an elementary school teacher who had a profound and lasting effect on their lives. Unfortunately, many times, because of our youth, we do not recognize the contribution these people have made until well after we have moved on and they are no longer a part of our lives. I was lucky enough to have had such an experience with an elementary school teacher, and I am trying to locate her to let her know how grateful I am for the gift that she gave me. Strangely enough, she was not even a teacher of mine in school. Rather, she was vacationing at a hotel on Lake Bomoseen, Rutland, Vermont, where I was spending the summer of 1971 with my parents while they were working. I believe she was newly married at the time, perhaps even on her honeymoon. Seeing a child who was stuck with no friends his own age to occupy him, she took me under her wing. I believe she was a new teacher at the time, and she was going to be teaching "To Kill a Mockingbird" to her class the approaching fall. As practice, she taught it to me, and that experience was the basis for much of my further study. I wrote my Honors Thesis at Wesleyan University on the book, and many of the things we discussed at the time still influence my thinking and writing. If anyone can help me locate this teacher, or point me to other forums where I could post this message, I would be most appreciative.
Very truly yours,
Matthew Arkin (ma2x2tt@aol.com)