Ms. Newstead

Ms. Newstead is one of my favourite teachers ever. She was more than a teacher; she was a friend - understanding, supportive and always full of advice - to a group of misfits trying to find their footing in the social sea of high school. Anyone who's reading this and was friends with me in high school, don't try to deny it; we were a bunch of misfits that started in middle school...but we did fit in with each other. Ms. Newstead would let us eat in her room because her class was right after lunch (even though we weren't supposed to eat in classrooms. She was cool like that.) She let us watch Austin Powers. She lectured me on reading romance novels and teased us for being 'boy crazy' girls. She gave us makeup advice; she let me try her plum coloured lipstick and I liked it. She made English class the funnest to be in because she didn't put herself on a pedestal like many other teachers; she got down to our level and became one of us. She teased us, gave us nicknames, joked with us and in the end, taught us more than we would ever know.

It's been 8 years since my freshman year in high school. A while ago, I heard she was teaching in Brasil. Lucky kids. 8 years and I've lost touch with her. And I just found out that she has leukemia. A million questions race through my mind, the foremost one being: 'Why is this happening to her of all people? She's never done anything to deserve this!' Secondly, 'Oh God, why didn't I try harder to keep-in-touch??' The good news is that she had a very successful stem-cell transplant, is feeling good *knock very hard on wood* and her doctors say that she's doing very well. I am extremely glad and relieved to hear that. I emailed her and I doubt she remembers me but if she does, I hope to hear from her soon.

As she and her support group says: 'Live each life to the fullest -- without dread.'

Thank you, Liz.