I’ll Give You A Pass

Friday, October 31st, 2003. I’m in my 5th grade chorus class at Glenwood Elementary around 9am in the morning. Now me being me I was definitely getting on my music teacher’s last nerve, like I always did around that time. So in a routine fashion she sent me to the corner of the room to what you basically could say was a timeout. At some point during this timeout I found myself falling fatigue as my classmates were singing and playing instruments. It’s not uncommon for a kid to fall asleep in class, especially when they are as lazy as me, but it is a bit alarming when the kid isn’t waking up when the adult are desperate trying to wake him.

The next 30 minutes we’re a little blurry, due to me being aware of nothing but the darkness of the other side of my eyelids, but this darkness was suddenly interrupted by a strong cough with me rising up off my back and opening eyes to find myself in the nurse’s office surrounded by one of my assistant teachers, the school nurse, the janitor that was cool with everybody and guidance counselor, Ms. Harris. Everybody looked extremely relieved when I woke up. I wasn’t fully aware of what was going on, but they all quickly gave me the rundown.

Apparently I had passed out and they all were struggling to wake me up after I fell asleep in class before my powerful cough did the job. So then they started asking me how I was feeling. I told them all I was feeling fine and that I wasn’t physically challenged in any way, but that wasn’t enough for the authorities. They decided my little episode warranted a take the rest of the day off. They thought my asthma which was really bad may have caused me to fall short of breath and determined it was best for me to leave for the rest of the day and get my mother to take me to the doctor’s office to see what was up.

So while all the other adults dispersed to get in contact with my mom and go back to their duties, the nurse and my other teachers asked one of the other 5th grade teachers named Ms. Pass to look after me in the nurse’s office until my mom arrived. What’s funny is I had seen Ms. Pass around school for over a year since I had first came to Glenwood during the fall of 2002 when I was I the 4th grade, but I had never formally met her and up to that point I didn’t even know her name. One thing I did recognize about her was her look. She had short red hair and wore glasses.

So now it’s just me and Ms. Pass and while all the other adults are off doing whatever it is they do, Ms. Pass makes the introductions. After introducing herself to me she sparks up what seemed like random, yet focused conversation. I couldn’t even remember what she was talking about. She was mostly asking me about me, making conversation to make me feel better. At first it wasn’t working because all I could think about was how mad my mom was probably going to be for having to come pick me up out of school and how I probably wasn’t going to get to go trick or treating that night with my friends.

Well Ms. Pass was definitely reading my melancholy demeanor so she left out real quick and came back with a big bag of mini snickers, then she gave them to me. It was her way of consoling me for if I didn’t get to go trick or treating that night. I’m not embarrassed to say this really warmed my heart and made me feel better. I now was paying attention to her when she talked because I could see she really cared. I briefly wondered why at first because she didn’t even know me up to that point, but it didn’t matter. She just wanted to give kindness and care to a kid who was troubled for the moment.

While I was still talking to Ms. Pass my mom finally showed up to get me and my to my surprise she wasn’t angry. She could see I was clearly fine but kept me some medicine on hand and just decided to let me hang out with her for the rest of the afternoon. As we left, Ms. Pass saw me off and looking back at her I felt like I had just made a new friend. I also still got to go trick or treating that night and a great weekend followed. For the remainder of that year Me and Ms. Pass really became friends.

She was always checking up on me and visiting me in class just to make sure all was well with me.though she technically wasn’t my teacher, it felt like she was because she was always so supportive. When I graduated 5th grade at the end of the year I lost touch with Ms. Pass for nine years after I left Glenwood elementary. When I was well into my second year in college in 2013 I decided to join the world of social media. I reconnected with a lot friends and family, but I also wanted to connect with my old teachers. Kris Pass was one of the first ones I found on Facebook. Interestingly enough I didn’t think she’d remember me, but much to my surprise she actually did.

We started catching up and was glad to know that she never forgot about me. In the 11 years since we reconnected, we are still good friends and she has been very supportive of the person I have become. Along the way I found out that there was something else that connected us. One year before I encountered Kris Pass at Glenwood elementary in 2002, the 9/11 attacks occurred. That day had a huge impact on me growing up, but what I didn’t know even back in the day was Kris had a friend she grew up with named Sandra Teague who died on the third aircraft that was hijacked during the attacks and every year her graduating class commemorates Sandra during the 9/11 anniversary. Kris also appreciates how much I remember and commemorate 9/11 as well.

Fast forward to today and Kris Pass is still a great friend of mine and has always been supportive. A great teacher isn’t just one who teaches you lessons inside the classroom, but one who teaches you valuable lessons outside the classroom as well. On October 31st 2003 that teacher with the short red hair and glasses didn’t just give me care and a bag of snickers, she gave me a Pass.

~~Dedicated to my 5th grade teacher, Kris Pass. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week.