In Memorium:  Carrie Kolder

For over 25 years, Carrie and I were colleagues in the English Department of William Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois.  I could tell from conversations that she was special, and my last nine years before retiring, I served as Department Chair.  Teachers generally do not observe colleagues as they teach in their classroom, but as chairman it was my job to visit and evaluate, and those observations verified my beliefs about her. Also, I was blown away at the number of graduates who returned to visit her and praised her teaching and mentoring skills.

Five years after retiring, a seed grew in my mind and the following poem about her flowed effortlessly from my fingers to the keyboard to the screen.  It required little revising when I looked back at it a week or so later, which I guess shows how deep an impression she had made in me.  At her wake/funeral today, her husband, Jim (a former Fremd math teacher) told me that Carrie had framed the poem and that it still hung in their home. That blew me away!

 Carrie Kolder

                                 

Rock

solid, self-assured,

blessed with unyielding principles,

zealously protecting her privacy,

loyal to friends,

committed to family,

devoted to students,

dedicated to God.

Sponge

sensitive and tender,

vigilantly absorbing,

accumulating, analyzing, understanding,

yet always squeezing

to give more of herself.

Bulldog

tenacious, determined fighter, 

valiant Viking,

never yielding self to disease,

courageous silent sufferer.

Day after day

loving life and loving others

throughout every bonus day granted.

Master

teacher, mentor, counselor,

dedicated, devoted, compassionate, 

stalwart supporter, 

unswerving cheerleader,

ever challenging 

and demanding,

her rigid high expectations 

bequeathing lofty results --

students being educated

many becoming lifelong friends.

Servant

heart and mind.

Steadfast spirit,

ever aware of who she is

and Whose she is.

Faithful, prayerful, humble,

giving and forgiving,

gifted by God

and gifting others

with her myriad gifts.

11/17/06