Everyone has one. A teacher who made a positive impact.
Mine was Myra Durlofsky, my 10th grade Language Arts teacher. (We called it “English” back then.)
The first day of class, Stu Cohen, a football player, leaned over and said, “You’ll love this class. She’s excellent!”
And she was. And still is!
Mrs. Durlofsky moved through the classroom with energy and purpose. She gave us interesting activities, like writing and performing a modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet. (“Yo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Dude?”)
I worked extra hard when doing an assignment for her. She once scribbled at the top of a page of vocabulary sentences I’d written: “Your sentences brighten my day.”
I still have that paper.
Today, in “retirement,” Mrs. Durlofsky teaches English to Russian students and volunteers at a local cancer hospital and hospice. I still imagine her moving through her days with energy and purpose.
I know what she’s doing today because after twenty-seven years, we still write letters to each other on a regular basis.
So, when you read my novel this February, you’ll recognize the name of the Language Arts teacher who has my main character make a diorama of a scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Thank you, Myra Durlofsky!
