If you have not had the chance to read More Than A Bird by Liz Huntley, you are definitely missing out. More Than A Bird is a memoir of Liz Huntley's life. I will not give the book away, but I do want to express my personal takeaways. Mrs. Huntley is a dynamic lawyer (something I dreamed of being as a child) and she is a prolific advocate for early childhood education. Her advocacy comes from a place that provided her so much support as she was growing up. I would dare say that her life would have taken a different path without the strong influence of Education. Her book challenged me to think about my own experiences. I became extremely emotional during this book. She spoke about buying a bicycle with her first pay check from her job. I did the same exact thing. We had VERY similar stories growing up. Too similar in some instances. (book coming soon...)
In the book Mrs. Huntley talked about her Superwoman which was the first teacher she had in Elementary School. I reflected back to my own Superwoman. Mrs. Catherine Waggener my Kindergarten teacher. Of course, by her stunning looks you could not tell at all. Mrs. Waggener was so gentle, loving, educated, and kind. I remember Kindergarten being a place of safety. I did not want to take naps in Kindergarten, and often got in trouble for talking way too much. ( I can't be too mad at my son for doing some of the same things.) I found her on Facebook right after a video was posted of me at my school. She sent me a message and I was so glad to hear from her. It brought back so many memories.
I am a member of the Hope Institute, a character education program and product of Liz Huntley. She introduced us to her Superwoman, so I decided to reach out to mine. I invited her to come to my school for a visit. I wanted to show her the dynamic impact that she had on a very immature 4 year old in Kindergarten. To my surprise upon asking her, I found a message she sent to me on Facebook about 3 years ago then at that time. It was right when my mother passed away. I must have dismissed the message due to not knowing her new last name, and probably just thought it was one of momma's friends, but I read the letter. It was a very intimate message about my mother's strength and how proud she was extremely proud of me. All of the same feelings from Kindergarten came rushing right back in. It was also on a day that I REALLY needed some encouragement. She agreed instantly and I prepared for her visit. I ran around the school frantically making sure everything was in place. You probably would have thought the State Superintendent was coming the way I prepared. Mrs. Waggener had a chance to talk to my students and my teachers. They were all amazed. I will remember the feeling I had for the rest of my life.
In closing, thank you Mrs. Liz Huntley for being very vulnerable in sharing the experiences that made you into the person you are today. I am very motivated to write my own memoir. I don't know exactly when, but I am even more motivated to be consistent with my blogs. Also thanks Mrs. Waggener, for allowing a very opinionated and sometimes bossy 4 year an opportunity at education. Your care helped promote the atmosphere that is on my campus each and every day.
You can purchase More Than A Bird HERE.
