RIP Mrs. Sweeney 2011

http://blogs.ausd.net/sweeney/

For the past couple of weeks now, every time I rode past Hugo Reid Primary on Michillinda, I noticed an announcement on the roadside board saying something about "Mrs. Sweeney" and "Farewell". This interested me, as I had Mrs. Sweeney as my 5th grade teacher and assumed she was retiring.

Today, I told a friend about it, since we were in Mrs. Sweeney's class together six years ago and I wanted to visit her or at least contact her. He checked the Hugo Reid portion of the AUSD website, then sent me the link.

Mrs. Sweeney died.

A teacher I remember for being excessively loud and energetic died, and weeks passed before I found out about it.

I can't say I have much more than fragmented memories about her, but the ones I do have are huge:

I remember she brought her new puppy to school every day and kept it in a cushioned pen by the door because she was afraid to leave it home alone.

I remember hearing that she was one of the meaner teachers, but then realizing that those rumors were just a result of her loud and commanding nature, but in reality, she was one of the most fun teachers I've ever had.

I remember she showed some of us a video of some asian kids lip syncing to "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys (She laughed and pointed out the guy in the background who was just playing video games obliviously).

I remember a rapping stuffed frog she brought into class one day that played for several minutes straight (I think it was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diiL9bqvalo ?)

I remember she told me to work on my handwriting, saying that penmanship was going to follow me for the rest of my life.

I remember she pointed out to me very briefly the rules of when to spell out numbers in writing and when to transcribe them as numerals while checking one of my essays, a memory that comes up every time I'm about to write a number down on paper.

I remember her laugh that almost sounded harsh and sharp at first, but soon became a daily part of our lives.

I remember candy, the original Sid Meier's Civilization, Oregon Trail, special Mensa math problems, and all these little things that make me consider her one of the best teachers I've ever had.

I'm going to miss Mrs. Sweeney, but not as much as all the future students who will never have the chance to learn from one of the best, most unique, and most wonderful teachers there will ever be.