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Elyssa Berger's avatar

Oh my gosh- you’d never think I had any education reading that lol. No option to edit so you’ll have to read through the lines. Especially the one that said you took my daughter, under her wing 🤦🏻‍♀️. Of course it’s supposed to say Your wing!

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Elyssa Berger's avatar

What a special story, Andre. It touched my heart on many levels. It reminded me of educators who pivotal in my life, all the way back from primary school, to high school and even as an adult in nursing school.

It also touched me heart because my daughter, Shira, was fortunate enough to be one of your young reporters at TDN that you took under her wing, not only at work, but in life.

Teachers come in many forms and it’s so lovely to see a tribute to them as the new school year begins for people of all ages.

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Hal Luhn's avatar

Andre, you surely remember Miss Hopkins who helped in the newsroom. I had Miss Hopkins at Kelso High for latin class. Very smart lady and really nice person and what she taught me certainly helped later on in college as latin is at the root of many of our English words. Thanks for the nice story. Hal

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Andre Stepankowsky's avatar

Of course I remember Virgil. She was a real stickler for grammar.

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Michael R.'s avatar

Thanks for that great story, Andre. I hope we all had at least one pivotal and influential teacher in our lives. I did and I am forever grateful to him. Andre, thanks for helping me remember my 7th grade Language Arts teacher, Mr. Christopher Darling, today.

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Tina Smith's avatar

Andre, a wonderful piece!

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Bob Varettoni's avatar

Thank you for posting this, Andre. Sister Josephine (I never had the nerve to call her Billy Jo) was my Latin teacher (in a class of 3) during my sophomore/junior years at DePaul. I graduated in 1974, so we probably crossed paths in the hallway. I recently visited The British Museum and thought of her often among all the Greek vases. I remember how excited she was about the vase The Met purchased in 1973 for $1 million. I couldn't find any mention of her online... just a small obit, until I read your story. She deserves to be immortalized in print; she was a wonderful teacher.

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Andre Stepankowsky's avatar

Bob. Thanks for your message. Yes I remember that she clipped articles about that vase from the New York Times and shared them with me. Just curious: how did you find my column? A simple Google search?

Do you still live near De Paul?

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Bob Varettoni's avatar

I still live near DePaul, and discovered your article when I googled her, trying to find any information about her career or when she may have died... Sorry for the months-delayed reply. I grew up in Totowa, and Mom (at age 92) still lives alone in the house there, so I am in the DePaul area often as I care for her.

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