The morning of 9/11 was my 16th birthday. I was a Junior in high school and I was sitting in Mrs. Geller-Clark’s class when we heard the news. Mrs. G-C turned on a New York radio station and we listened silently, hearts pounding, to the reports that the South Tower had collapsed. The air was thick and I remember that Mrs. G-C used the word ‘terrorist’; it was the first time in my life that I’d heard the word. She explained a bunch of other things that did not make sense to me at the time; she seemed so well-read about what was going on in the world. Of course, life changed for everyone that morning. And that morning of my first day as a 16 year-old was the beginning of a year of maturation for me.
Mrs. Geller-Clark had high expectations of her students. She maintained a college-like rigor for her Junior and Senior Humanities and English courses and she was a master facilitator. She would sit on a stool in the front of the classroom and get everyone to participate by drawing out big questions. Inspired by her passion, we had some incredible discussions about religion, humility, enlightenment, and other topics that are quite high-level for 16 and 17 year-old students. I was so shy about participating in high school! But, Mrs. G-C had this amazing trick where she would actively listen to you while you spoke and follow up by saying, “Ok, Karla, so what I hear you saying is that…” She made you feel heard and validated your ideas. This had a tremendous effect on the class culture. In the Spring, Mrs. G-C would take us outside to have our discussions sitting in a circle in the grass or under a big tree. It made me feel like a university student in a movie!
As part of the class, Mrs. G-C had us keep a journal that we were supposed to write in 3 to 4 times per week. You could fill it with writing, drawings, ideas, and anything to help you digest and reflect on the rich and dynamic content that we were diving into each day in class. The thing is, she actually read the journals and gave you feedback! It was quite special to have a teacher that I so respected respond to my thoughts and doodles about a concept.
At one point, we did a major project on genocide. We had to choose a topic on which to conduct research, but we had to figure out a unique way of doing so. We had a family friend who lived in the U.S. but who was born in Germany about 10 years after the Holocaust. I held a phone interview with her and asked about her schooling in post-war Germany with the intention of exploring how the Holocaust was presented to young students at that time. I prepared a poster and a presentation for my class. Mrs. G-C told me that it was one of the most impressive of these projects that she’d seen yet. Ten years later, I found myself teaching in my Alma mater school district and was so excited to talk with Mrs. Geller-Clark at a PD session at the high school. After all that time and all of the students she’s had over her almost 30 years of experience, she actually remembered me! When she told me that she still shows my Holocaust project to her classes, I felt elated!
Mrs. Geller-Clark had an electric energy when she talked about human rights and challenging the status quo. She helped me to grow as an individual that year because she challenged my mindset and taught me how to be reflective and tuned-in to things that catch my attention or make me feel unsettled. She also nurtured a class culture to make each student feel seen and heard, and I am often reminded of her as I strive to make each one of my students feel comfortable, safe, and at home in my classroom.
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