​I thought we’d stick with the “new school year” theme and give some thought and praise to teachers this week.  As for naming my favorite teacher, this is a difficult one for me to answer.  I had a lot of very good teachers, and even a few great ones.  But, the teacher I always tend to think of first when I remember the teachers I’ve had over the years is Mr. Gantner in elementary school.  He was such a nice man, engaging and quick-witted, and always encouraged us to think creatively.  His class was challenging and a bit unconventional, and it kept me on my toes.  I also remember most, if not all, of my fellow classmates from Mr. Gantner’s class.  That’s not the case with any other class or school year.  His class was memorable, and that was due solely and wholly to his effectiveness as a teacher.  Not every one gets an opportunity to have a teacher like Mr. Gantner, so I consider myself one of the lucky ones. 

If you have read Sycamore Lane (and hopefully you have!), you know that Anastasia and Tallulah communicate with each other by writing notes on the blackboard wall. I thought it would be fun to do something similar on my blog. Each week, I’ll post a new question (just something fun, nothing too serious) written in chalk on a blackboard. I’ll provide my own answer, and I invite you to post an answer, too. We’ll keep it light and entertaining. To that end, please be respectful of others when posting.  Thank you -- and I look forward to reading your answers.  

Hands down, my favorite thing about starting a new school year was getting new school supplies.  There is nothing better than brand new notebooks, folders, paper, pens, pencils, erasers, and so on.  I used to love walking into school on that first day, carrying my book bag filled with all those new supplies just begging to be used.  I still love a new notebook, clean and unmarked and just waiting to be filled with anything from brilliant ideas to complete nonsense.