Everyone probably has a favorite teacher that they remember with warmth and joy.
For many children, it was their kindergarten teacher, because that’s the time when children are usually dependent on adults.
I myself was told that I was terrified the first day of kindergarten and preschool, but that the kind teachers helped me get over my fears.
Lorly Schik was one of these memorable teachers.
She started working as a pre-school teacher in the 1940s and developed a strong bond with the of hundreds of children that passed through her classroom.
Lorly says she that she remembers all of her many students — every single child.
But, there was one who made a special impression on her. It was a little boy named Cory.
This dark-haired student was in Lorly’s last class, the year before she retired from teaching. She was a little worried and afraid of what would happen when she retired in 1989, but at the same time, she knew it was time.
She and her husband would travel around the country and relax in their retirement. But, her husband passed suddenly, changing all her plans. Suddenly, Lorly was a widow.
Lorly remained in her hometown for 25 years, until she was 90-years-old. Then, Lorly’s family decided that in order to be closer to her family, she would need to leave the town where she spent most of her life.
The idea was that Lorly would move closer to Twin Cities, a metropolitan area in the state of Minnesota. Lorly would move into a retirement home close to her relatives.
One morning at the retirement home, she turned on the TV. Lorly switched a program on the KARE 11 news channel.
And suddenly, she realized that she recognized the person on the screen. She couldn’t believe it!
One of the hosts reminded her very much of her student, Cory! There was no doubt that it was the same person.
Lorly felt compelled to get hold of him, so she wrote a well-written letter to Cory’s parents, which led to something wonderful happening …
The older woman was so moved to see her former student on the news. Here’s what she wrote in the letter to his parents:
“Bless Cory. Tell him that his kindergarten teacher is now 90-years-old and that she likes to watch his news program. She wants him to know that he is the very best.”
When Cory received the message, he couldn’t wait to reunite with his old teacher.
But what he didn’t know was that Lorly had saved a 30-year-old letter from his mother that she wished to share with him. Lorly received the letter from Cory’s mother when he finished her class.
Watch the video below to hear the contents of the letter. I can tell you that Cory will start crying when he reads the wonderful message.
Watch their heartwarming reunion in the video below:
https://youtu.be/aaIapPlya6g
As a teacher, you can mean so much to the students, and this story is a moving and excellent example of that.
I’m sure Lorly played a part in Cory’s success and she deserves some credit for that.
We need more teachers like Lorly!
