Invitation Surprise

Catherine's photos from the south of France are delightful.  Reminds me of the few times I traveled overseas.  Something in the countryside conveys a peacefulness that cannot be described, but I still feel it yet today, after all these years.  I see the pictures and feel the ambiance of the fields and the hillsides, the pleasant villages with the open air markets, the cobblestone streets, even the fences that delineate each property so cleanly.

Today a special invitation arrived from the High School I left forty years ago.  I was invited to their reunion.  In the invitation was a photo of the French club, and there I am, Advisor.  I loved studying, learning and teaching French .  Literature fascinated me, as did the cuisine, the art, and the theatre.  My best friend and I studied Ballet and French together, and she had the position before I did.

When she was killed in an airplane crash, her  parents talked to the school board to have me replace her.  They hired me, and that is where I taught until I decided to take maternity leave.

So much happened in the years I taught at the Middle School, the High School, and the Elememtary Schools in the Princeton School district.  Several years I also taught night school.  It was the time of my dating Jim, my marriage , and my becoming pregnant.

One of my star students was in a car accident with a train, and had a severe brain injury.  I spent months with him and his family tutoring him in language to help him relearn school subjects so he could graduate with his class.

Compared to my teaching job at Tarkio College, where most students were taking French simply for the credit, this was so different.   I enjoyed working with the faculty and the hardworking students who seemed to enjoy studying French.

It has been a LONG time since I have thought of Princeton, but I am going to the reunion.