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
