Day 17: Saying Thank You

A Letter to Mrs. Whitford

Everyone has a favorite teacher. Mine is and always will be my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Carolyn Running Crane Whitford. She was a wonderful positive teacher who I will never forget. I want to tell her that she made a positive impact on my life because Christmas is a time to share with others. I want to thank her. Trouble is I do not know where to find her. I attended school at Roy Elementary in Washington state eighteen years ago. So I set on a journey to try and find her. She was no longer a teacher at the school I attended according to the secretary I called. Mrs. Whitford just so happened to be part of the Blackfeet tribe. I thought this could help narrow my search. After several hours of combing the world wide web I managed to find several promising email and postal addresses. One of which I believe is her husbands and what I believe to be her tribe's council email. Such a little private eye was I! So I typed up a heart felt letter and sent it out to several locations. I hope she is able to read this letter. I hope my detective work payed off. Here is what I wrote: 

Hello! My name is Haylee Chowen. I am looking to connect with my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Carolyn Running Crane Whitford. I was a student of hers in 1995 I would like to get a letter of thanks to her. If you have a means of contact for Mrs. Whitford please feel free to email me back. If you are able to pass her along this letter please do so. I think it is important that during these times we thank those who have met something to us. I wanted to take the time to share with Mrs. Whitford that I will never forget her. Thanks for any and all possible help. Happiest of holidays to you and yours, Haylee.

Dear Mrs. Whitford,

                My name is Haylee Chowen. I am not sure if you remember me. I was a student in your 4^th grade class of 1995, at Roy Elementary school. This Christmas I am working on a project. I am attempting to think of others every day for the 25 days of Christmas. I feel we often lose sight of what is truly important and it has been my goal to regain the true spirit this year. Today is day 17. Before I began this project I thought it would be nice to write personal cards to the people who have a positive impact on my life. When I had this thought, you popped into my head right away. Whenever anyone talks about favorite teachers I have always thought of you. So I never got out all those cards. I became very busy with my 25 day adventure. I still wanted to say thank you to you. So today I will. I can still remember your warmth and patience. I was always writing petitions and protecting the underdog at that age (still am). I practically made a formal filibuster in student council to get you to also take the student representatives to the Blackfeet Reservation along with the class officers.  You always supported me, sternly but gently. You corrected me when I would become to over the top. You never made me feel that my thoughts and convictions were stupid. You never made me feel less because I was a child. I was able to go on that trip to the reservation, by the way. You incorporated your culture into your teaching which was stimulating and captivating. You made it fun to learn, in many ways. I will always look back at that time, in the portable, in your class with fondness. I can remember at the end of the school year we had a sleepover in our class room. I can remember feeling like you were my friend. I know now that you genuinely cared for your students. I know that this impact you had on me was the same for many children before and after me. I felt true love from you as my teacher. Though this was almost 18 years ago I will always remember you. Thank you for making school great. Thank you for caring. I will always carry a piece of the little girl I was in your classroom.  I am not sure if this letter will even reach you. I can only hope. Please feel free to email me back at hayleechowen@yahoo.com or you can check out my blog at http://hayleeschristmas.blogspot.com/. I would love to hear from you.  I hope that you have the happiest of holidays.

With Thanks,

Haylee Chowen

In the end all I can do is wait. At least I put it out there into the universe. 

Carolyn Whitford (photography by Ben Marra)

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
-- Albert Einstein