Teacher Tuesday: Still Making Memories

Remember the 80’s? 

Big hair, leg warmers worn with pixie boots, breakdancing, Space Invaders, Duran Duran, clothes in shades of hot pink, electric blue and neon yellow, “Gag me with a spoon!”

 

The good ole days…

When I think back to these days, my memory inserts images of one of our newer classroom assistants, Mrs. Kim Harry. 

She is a warm reminder of the days of girly giggles, stirrup pants, dancing to A-ha, drives in a Jeep and hair held high off the head by mushroom-cloud blasts of Aqua Net.

Kim,  my brother, and big hair.

As my little sister’s best friend, Kim was a regular visitor to our house. Out of my sister’s odd assortment of peers, she was my absolute favorite. She wasn’t the girl who screamed every time Bon Jovi’s name was mentioned, she wasn’t the girl who was always mad at everyone, she wasn’t the gossip, she wasn’t the whisperer, she wasn’t the hypochondriac.  Kim was the girl who walked in the house with a big smile and a laugh and made everyone, from my baby brother to my mom, feel as if they were included in her close circle of friends.

She exuded happiness and joy in life. And even though it didn’t register to my teenaged self – I realize now that she truly radiated the love of God.

Every character trait that made me love Kim back then is still present in the Kim that works for Shepherds College today. The years haven’t stripped one ounce of her kindness, gentleness, sense of humor or positivity. The staff she supports at school gives testimony to this fact:

“Kim is great! She always has a smile on her face and is willing to jump in and go with the flow!” ~ Mrs. Kolkman

“Kim is calm and positive and treats difficult behaviors with diplomacy and love.” ~ Mrs. Harvey

“Kim is so kind and gentle. She steps right in with whatever is needed and is actively involved. I love working with her! She is fun and flexible and up for anything in class!” ~ Mrs. Konopasek

“Kim is such a kind person, and she is always attentive to the students. She is really interested in their lives as well.” ~ Miss Spence

“I’ve seen Kim encourage, support and guide students throughout the day. She has a gentle and fun personality. She is also very dedicated and even came to support the students at a Special Olympics Basketball tournament!” ~ Miss Pechous

“Kim is fantastic! I really enjoy having Kim in my classroom because she takes initiative to help where needed with whoever needs it. She sees a need and she fills it.” ~ Mrs. Luchterhand

“Kim is great! She is kind, compassionate, tender-hearted and a hard worker. She is also patient with the students. As a class para, she is tops! Some of her tasks include tracking student behaviors, grading papers, finding students after breaks, helping students in class, running errands, and getting Band-Aids and other minor triage. She helps me as a teacher stay focused on teaching.” ~ Miss Houk

“KIM HARRY IS AMAZING!!!!!  She is compassionate, warm and SO VERY kind to the students!! She is such an asset to my class because she is willing to help out in whatever area needed. She does it all with such patience and joy!  Her compassion, patience, encouragement and motherly instincts make her more than equipped to work with our students, and I am SO thankful God brought her to Shepherds College!”  ~ Miss Pollard

Mrs. Harry is also thankful that God brought her to Shepherds College. At Christmas time, just a couple of months after starting her job at Shepherds, she opened a piece of Dove chocolate. The message on the wrapper said “Love what you do.” She thought, “Wow, my job at Shepherds is truly something that I love. I look forward to every day that I serve, and I feel that God has placed me in this special place to help me grow and mold me into the person He wants me to be. I started this job as a para thinking that I’d be helping students with intellectual disabilities, but most of the days, they are teaching me.”

The big hair may have changed over time, but the big heart never will. 

We are blessed to have Mrs. Harry as part of the Shepherds College family, still making warm memories for a whole new generation of young people.

 

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.