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Slowly the room filled with the other students. In the mist of them was Mrs. Worthsmith dress in brown tweed looking like school marm. She asked me what my last name was. I told her, "Roth." She said, " You were almost right. Move one chair to the left." That is where I sat until June of the following year.

The next two days were spend being assigned text books, going over school regulations, and learning Mrs. Worthsmith's class rules. On the third day she told us to get out our social study books and turn to the sixth chapter. She, then, announced as she handed out long narrow strips of construction paper that this would be the only chapter we would have to learn until March of the following year. I stared at her in disbelief for about a minute, saw that she wasn't fooling around, and then reverted my eyes to my book again. The chapter title said Kenya.

As it turned out, not only was our social studies lessons just about Kenya, but also our math lessons, English lessons, Spanish lessons, art class, and all spelling words. The only breaks from all this stuff about Kenya were when I went to the music room, to my gym class, and my science class. Those who were taking French got an extra 45 minute break from Kenya.

Why was she fixed on Kenya? That summer before school had started, Mrs. Worthsmith had actually been to Kenya. She had even made a trip up to the top of Mount Kenya. When my brother had her for his 5th grade, he learned about Portugal in the same way because thats where she had gone the previous summer..

In February , Mrs. Worthsmith conducted an assembly for all of the students of the school. During the presentation of slides showing Kenya, her students who were in her Spanish class told the audience about Kenya in Spanish. Her students that were taking French interpreted the same speeches into English. Our art work was shown in the main lobby of the school.

This wasn't the only thing unusual about Mrs. Worthsmith. If it had been, only the ones like me who truly loved school would have liked this teacher at all. This lady's mission was to make the learning experience as enjoyable as possible.

The tent dress I had seen her wear the year before was just a hint of what fun this teacher could be. Most elementary school teachers get dressed up for Halloween along with the children. Mrs. Worthsmith not only wore her witch costume but also dyed the white streak in her hair orange. When December rolled around, she dyed the streak blue. For Valentine's Day, she walked into the classroom with a pink streak in her hair. Of course, for St. Patrick's Day, Mrs. Worthsmith's famous streak was green. At the end of the school year, she dyed it yellow. I never did find out the reason for that one.

In March, as Mrs. Worthsmith has promised, our days became the same as everyone else's in the school. We studied the other chapters in our social studies text book, did the story problems in math, and constructed sentences in our English class.

Mrs. Worthsmith was and still is the inspiration of my unquenchable thirst to learn and to find pleasure in whatever I do. I hope everyone has a teacher like her. I was clearly one of the students who loved her.

Learn more about this author, Glynis Jolly.
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