Dinner With The Lewises

Today, Wednesday August 4th, was the day I went to dinner with the Lewises!

Who are the Lewises? Um, only my favorite teachers! They were my 6th grade teachers to be exact, and why are they my favorites? Well let me give you the history before I talk about our get together.

All the kids in North Star Elementary heard about Mr. and Mrs. Lewis because they took their 6th grade class on a trip each year, which was pretty much unheard of in the small town of Kodiak Island Alaska. I mean a lot of us never went anywhere exciting! There were also lots of rumors going around about what kind of teachers they were. The number one rumor was that Mrs. Lewis (whom we all called Mrs. BL in class) was very strict and mean. The other was that they were really really hard on their students. So of course I was a little nervous in the 5th grade knowing that they would be my teachers the next year.

That was the year I first met them actually. Mr. Lewis, for some reason or another, decided it was his duty to give an example to my class of how a crab is to be butchered……he came in and did a demonstration with a live crab in front of the class. I couldnt eat it…the poor thing! I knew right then that Mr. Lewis was quite the interesting guy.

Then the Lewises came along on the annual 5th grade Chiniak camping trip! Nobody questioned why they came, but looking back, I can see that the reason they went was probably to get to know us better since we were their new and upcoming pupils. The second day of camp it was sweltering hot, in Kodiak sweltering was probably 80 degrees, and no matter how much suncreen I put on I was burning up! Mrs. Lewis piled some more sunscreen on me and still I just kept getting redder and redder. Well this happened to be right  before a big nature hike everyone was supposed to go on, learning how to use a compass and because I was burning up so bad, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis said I could not go on the hike. I would have been very disappointed, but they put me in their big motor home with magazines, coloring books, and cookies! I felt like I was the shit. So many students were jealous lol.

At the end of camp everyone was getting awards. Best camp skit, camp clown, best navigator, etc…Then out comes Mr. and Mrs. Lewis with a purple hat that says "The Sunburn Award"  and plop it on my head. Oh my gosh haha. I wish I still had that baseball cap.

From that time on I was excited to have them as teachers.

Until the Lewises. Class was about sitting in desks, listening to the teacher, and doing homework or whatever was required of you, but 6th grade year was unlike any other.

The Lewises treated us not just as students, but as adults. Mrs. BL would make us write sentences on the chalk board if we used incorrect speech, such as saying gonna instead of going to, and Mr. Lewis taught us how to write checks. The trip we were going on that year was Hawaii! Lucky us! The way we would go though, was to raise our own money for the ticket! How? Run our own business! Yes. Each student had a duty to create their own business cards, and come to the schools fun nights, basketball games, etc, to sell our goodies throughout the school year. We also had a responsibility to write a complete book on a topic about Hawaii! I mean title page, table of contents, bibliography, glossary, index, author page, everything! They even published them into hard cover books! Each and every one of our reports! It must have been over 26 pages long I believe. Also among all of our studies, we had to learn more about our home state because we were scheduled to go to one of the schools in Hawaii and teach the students there about Alaska! The lewises even arranged between the school that we all have pen pals throughout the year so that we could meet them once we got there! It was awesome!

So yes, they were responsible, smart teachers, who looked out for us, but they were adventurous and spontaneous as well! One day, Zack Keplinger called in sick and didn’t come to class. The Lewises knew his mother well, since she taught kinder garden in the school, and Mr. Lewis was determined that Zack was faking it, so what did he do? He marched our entire class of 60 kids over to Zacks house with cake and ice cream, it was probably a mile, and surprised him haha. We hung out there for about a half hour before we dragged Zack back with us.

Another day Mr. Lewis and Mrs. Lewis said "We are taking you all to Pizza hut for lunch!" We were all like…uuuh say what? So…we walked to Pizza hut lol. The look on the servers faces when 60 kids marched in and took over was priceless lol.

There were just so many random fun things that we did just for the sake of adventure. Like this one time, we had plans to meet up with the 5th graders at Abercrombie State Park for a game day, but the 5th grade class backed out because it started to rain. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis said "Let’s show those 5th graders how tough we are! We aren’t quitters!" So the whole class marched 5 miles in the rain to this place on Manashka where we played games for about an hour and then walked back. I remember Mr. Lewis was counting how many slugs he saw through the entire walk lol.

We were also the first people to tour Wal Mart in Kodiak before it opened. Haha. What a field trip.

Such caring and loving teachers they were. They paid attention to every students needs. If ever we needed help with anything they would hold a homework club after school for us, they expressed their concerns and made learning fun.

Hawaii Mrs. Lewis made me wear a tee shirt over my bathing suit because she remembered how burnt I got the year before! It pleased me that she remembered that specifically. Mr. Lewis and I got seperated from the group some how and he wanted to stop in to a purse shop. When we were in there he let me pick out a coin purse. Then he took me into a candy shop, gave me a bag and said "Fillerup!" I looked at him with saucer eyes and said "What?!" He said "Yup! Fill it with as much candy as you want it’s on me!" Ha imagine a kid being able to do that. When we finally got back with the group the other students were so jealous lol.

So many great memories.

Anyway back to today. I met up with them at this lovely little italian restaurant that I had never been to before and it was REALLY expensive! Like 30 bucks a plate! I was a little embarrassed and they said "No this is our treat!" I was so shocked that they would treat me to something so nice, but at the same time I wasn’t because I remembered that giving is their nature. It makes them happy just like it does me. We talked and talked, and it just showed me even more how wonderful they are. They remembered EVERYTHING! I mean story apon story about their students. Students in my friends classes above me, students in my class, students in Rachels class. They were bringing up memories of Rachel, Jonah and I that even I had forgotten and were telling me stories of students they have been keepingin touch with. 

When I had the chance, I let them know how much they touched my heart, and how I am sure they touched everyones hearts, and how much I appreciate them for what they did as my teachers because it prepared me for life and truly affected me in such a good way. They are the kind of teachers any student would be so lucky to have. They really set the standard for teaching actually I believe, and nobody can touch them.

I cannot say how much joy it brought me to be able to see them after all these years and catch up. It was so pleasant and I am so glad to be keeping in touch with them! What really got me excited is that they said they would love it if my 6th grade class could have a reunion and go on another trip together! "Why don’t you be the one to organize it Hannah?" They said to me.

Well shucks why not!? I think that’s just what I’ll do is make a page for it on facebook. 

Anyway it was just so great spending time with them and it really brought me back. Made me feel old too lol.

They looked exactly the same though! It’s strange how all of my teachers seem to still look the same when I see them.

Okie dokie! Lates!