Teacher”s influence remains strong as her health fades

Pope John Paul II’s death made me think about something that I hadn’t in a while – being Catholic. Even if you seldom go to church, a historic event like this brings you back to your roots. No matter how far you stray from the church, once you’re a Catholic, you’re always a Catholic.

Some of my best memories of growing up Catholic came from attending parochial schools. I grew up when nuns as teachers were diminishing, so it was mostly laypeople who chose to teach there. I stress chose because anyone who teaches for a salary half of that of a public school must have a lot of passion for what they’re doing. Whatever your religious beliefs, you have to admire that dedication – of all teachers, really.

One particular teacher stood out to me: Mrs. Etter, my fifth-grade teacher. For starters, she was young, fun and gorgeous. Nothing against the sisterhood, ladies, but you rarely see those qualities in nuns. Mrs. Etter reminded me of Jamie Sommers – TV’s “Bionic Woman.” I was convinced when she left each afternoon, she was off to fight crime and evil in secret locations across the world. Man, she was so cool.

The funny thing is even though she seemed much younger than my previous teachers, she was still kind of old at 25. Remember when 25 sounded old? I mean old as in still cool old, with the spirit of a kid.

I remember her husband was a hottie too, although I didn’t appreciate his looks then. I thought he was cool for the sole reason that he was Mr. Etter. It always was magical when I discovered my teacher had a life beyond the classroom. Remember how exciting but completely overwhelming it felt running into them outside of school? I can hear myself in the grocery store tugging at my mom’s sleeve saying, “There’s Mrs. Etter!” Then when she approached us, I couldn’t utter a word.

Although I hadn’t thought about Mrs. Etter in years, I never forgot her. When asked who my favorite teacher was, her name always came out, even though she taught me 28 years ago.

My mom spoke of her recently. (It threw me a bit because she used her first name; she’ll always be Mrs. Etter to me.) I was saddened to hear that my young and vibrant teacher has been very sick. I tried to estimate her age now, but I couldn’t get the picture of the healthy 25-year-old teacher out of my mind. I can’t imagine her older, much less suffering from a life-threatening disease. The last time I saw Mrs. Etter she was leaving school to have a baby, though she seemed too young to become a mom then.

I’ve been considering sending her a note but struggle with what to say. My mom recently ran into Mrs. Etter, and told her she was always my favorite teacher. Mom said she seemed very touched by that. I hope so because I would love to return some of the great words and compassion she taught me.

Although she looked frail and tired, Mom said she was just as gorgeous as she was as my teacher. I realize now she wasn’t really the bionic woman, but I’m hopeful she possesses some of those magical powers Jamie Sommers did – not to save the world, but to save herself.