Page 24 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2017- Online Magazine

Lord’s Prayer in Olde English (not joking, I can onomatopoeia and iambic pentameter.
still do it) or crafting an essay that illuminates
Transcendentalist influences evident in the
works of Steinbeck and Melville. After surviving
these trials, we emerged, having been baptized
in fire, ready to face the future unflinching.
As I considered this gift of dauntless courage
in the face of the unknown, I could not imagine
the woman who endowed us with such
fearlessness settling into a life of ease and...
what… knitting? I simply could not reconcile
this force of nature with the idea of retirement.
So I called her.
My call found her about to grade the last five
research papers of her career. “I don’t know
what I am going to do with all of these red
pens!” she joked. The same rich, raspy voice that
had once sent a cold chill straight to my stomach
now brought an irrepressible smile to my face.
I told her about the article, and after she offered
to proofread and, -ahem- fact check it for me, I
asked her what she hoped her legacy would be,
both at Trinity and in the lives of her students.
She informed me that she hopes to see the
younger faculty at Trinity take up the mantle
of academic rigor where she will be leaving off,
but when pressed she responded, “I imagine
you could find my fingerprints in a lot of things.
I mean, I’ve taught English to about 90% of
the seniors that went through our school. But I
taught a lot more than that.” It's funny, as she
says this, I recall something that I once heard
her say, about marriage, “Anything with two
heads is a monster.” I can’t remember why she
was saying it, but it meant that someone has to
take the lead, and if you both try to be in charge,
well...you get the idea. I have probably repeated
that one line to myself 25 times in my ten years
of marriage. If I had said it 50 times, I could have
avoided a number of unnecessary arguments.
My point is, thanks to Mrs. Garrett, I am decent
with commas and similes, and I recognize
24 Lubbock Senior Link
However, the truly valuable lessons were the
subtext of the English class, the lessons that
helped us to succeed in the phase of life after
high school.
She has ushered so many as they graduated
and stepped out into the unknown. I am curious
if she has learned anything from them about
moving on to the next phase, as she approaches
her own sort of graduation. “I was always
enamored of the students that were willing
to dream and risk big; not afraid to leave the
comfortable place to see where their dreams led.
I’m not retiring to relax. I’ve got big dreams.”
Among those dreams she has plans for extensive
travel, a potential rewrite of Frankenstein, lots
of time spent with her latest grandbaby and a
blog called “Garrett Grad School”; a continuing
education of sorts, with posts ranging from
marriage advice and book reviews to the
importance of finding a church family, all
geared toward “her alums”.
“Oh, I’m not done teaching. Not even close.”
The enthusiasm in her voice is positively
palpable.
As I wrap up the interview and say my
goodbyes, I recognize a familiar sensation taking
hold: inspiration. Once again this woman has
challenged me to step out of the comfortable
and “see what God can do through you.” Her
blog has not yet found a home on the web, but
I, for one, am anxiously
awaiting its inception, and
the opportunity to once
again sit at the feet of my
favorite teacher.