By Cynthia Morihara, December 31, 2020 — I wanted to become a substitute teacher because some of the best memories — some of the only memories — I have of school are of when my substitute was there because it was such a different day. It was different from the run-of-the-mill day where I was going to read and write and do math. It was something different and it strikes me as a memory because the substitute would say something like, “Okay everybody write a poem.” Our regular teacher never asked us to do that. So when the substitute was there, it was memorable. I remember that day in sixth grade when she asked me to write a poem and I can almost remember the poem. It was about my low self-esteem and how I couldn’t do anything except “sit at home and play my comb.”
I know, I had low self-esteem when I was in sixth grade. My parents were divorced, and I really loved my father and I didn’t see him for years after that. You might wonder why, at age 70, I still dwell on that part of my life. But going through my parents’ divorce was tough and it was a defining part of my youth.
Other people have hardships in their families too. I see some women in the senior center that raised three children by themselves. Luckily, they had their mothers living across the street. They did it together. All of their children became professionals and they’ve got good jobs in Philadelphia or elsewhere, and it’s really admirable. You know, my mother did that herself. She raised three children by herself. We didn’t even have a relative for 500 miles around. She had it pretty hard. I really appreciate my mother. I appreciate her more now that I myself am a mother.