"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." ~Henry Brooks Adams

When asked what my favorite grade was in school when I was growing up, I always answer 2nd grade.  It wasn't so much the school itself, or the kids, or what I learned in the class - it was the teacher, Mrs. Jordan.

Mrs. Jordan was one of those teachers you never forget.  She loved teaching, she was young and enthusiastic, and she loved her students.  I don't remember a whole lot about the day-to-day activities of 2nd grade, but I do remember feeling like I was important in Mrs. Jordan's class.  I'm quite sure everyone else felt that way, too.  I also remember that I wanted to excel and give my very best for her - I never wanted to disappoint Mrs. Jordan.

The summer after 2nd grade, I had surgery on my hand in a neighboring city, which was about an hour's drive away.  Mrs. Jordan found out about it, and she drove that hour to visit me.  Once again, the summer after 3rd grade - a year removed from being Mrs. Jordan's student - I had surgery again.  Mrs. Jordan found out, and she drove the hour to visit me again.  I wasn't even her student anymore, and she still made the time to do that for me.  That made an impression.

I kept in touch with Mrs. Jordan through the years, and she was always excited to learn of what was going on in my life.  The year after I graduated, tragedy struck Mrs. Jordan's life.  Both of her children, ages 10 and 8, were killed shortly before Christmas in a tragic car accident.  Mr. Jordan's parents also perished.  What unspeakable grief and pain.  Shortly after that, I asked her if she would help me plan and organize my wedding and reception - my mother was living in Chicago at the time, and I needed some help.  Mrs. Jordan was glad for the distraction, and she did an amazing job of helping me coordinate everything.

I still keep in touch with Mrs. Jordan through Facebook.  She and her husband were blessed to be able to have two more children, who are now students at Texas A&M.  She continues to teach, and to love her students, and there is no way to measure how much she has influenced the lives of others in her path.

Mrs. Jordan taught me to love learning, and that education was something to get excited about and to give my all to.  She taught me that a teacher can have a major impact for good in a child's life, and that loving your students extends outside of the classroom.  Through her tragedy, she showed me how to handle such grief with a deep trust in God, and that sometimes the way to get outside of that grief is by reaching out to help others.  I continue to be encouraged by her attitude, and love to read her Facebook status updates.  I was particularly moved by one this summer that she posted in reference to her children . . . "Every single moment of every single day I am thankful for them...and every single moment of every single day I am in awe of how out of such tragedy could come such blessings. There are so many things I do not understand, but I do know our God is an awesome God."   I love Mrs. Jordan.  I'm thankful that I ended up in her classroom in 2nd grade, and she continues to educate me to this day.