The Letter "B"

I had many wonderful teachers during my school career but my 1^st grade teacher Mrs. Wyles, may have planted the seeds for my becoming a teacher, when she turned my misunderstanding of a homework assignment into a remarkable experience. 

           

We were studying the letter “B,” and we were to find letter B words in the newspaper and magazines, and bring them to share the next day.  I misunderstood and thought we were to bring in “things” with the letter “B.”   So I went home and put all my toys, including what I thought was a sterling example of the “letter B” – my Bullwinkle Bubble Bath Bottle – into one of the large brown paper grocery bags that Mom saved and carried it to school the next day. 

           

Imagine my surprise when all my classmates had neat, tidy little envelopes full of letter “B” words.  Imagine my teacher’s surprise too!

           

Well, Mrs. Wyles obviously knew an overachiever when she saw one and made arrangements for me to go show my letter “B” objects to the kindergarten class down the hall.  Can you imagine how important I felt to be “teaching” younger children about the letter “B?”

           

I’m pretty sure that Mrs. Wyles was not trying to “reassign” me to that kindergarten class because she did allow me to return to her classroom.  At six years old I wasn’t thinking about career options yet, but I don’t doubt that Mrs. Wyles’ positive response to my misunderstanding powerfully affected my soul and was a very significant reason why I became a teacher.