In Memoriam: Elaine Harp

I knew when I went to college that I wanted to be a teacher. I thought I wanted to be a teacher in an inner city school and was excited to have the chance to teach in a Dayton Public School classroom for a few weeks early in my senior year. It was a nightmare. Mostly because the teacher that I was assigned to did not want me there. Soon after, I was assigned to another classroom in the Franklin School district. My teacher's name was Elaine Harp and though I hardly knew what to make of her at first, she turned out to be a perfect match for me. Elaine was a no frills type of person and she was clearly used to getting her way. She was tall and she had a large presence but underneath the tough exterior she had a heart of gold. Elaine had been teaching for thirty years by the time I met her and was a treasure trove of classroom experience. But mostly, she trusted me and gave me a wide berth to gain my own footing as an educator in her classroom. I asked her if I could do my student teaching under her and so began my journey to becoming a teacher.

Probably the best word that I can think of to describe Elaine is "maverick". Most schools are filled with teachers trying to follow the latest trends and educational theories. Elaine didn't care. She had seen every thing under the sun by the time I met her and she knew what worked with her students. Elaine was not interested in making friends in the teacher's lounge although she did treat others with dignity and respect. She was there for the children. Elaine drove a huge pick up truck and sat on the county zoning board. She ran a farm. Her father had owned a great deal of farm land in Franklin at one time and there was even a housing subdivision in Franklin called, "Harpland". Elaine was the type of person that everyone   knew and you either loved her or hated her and I really don't think she cared which you picked.

Elaine was a very generous person. She never threw anything away and had collected a great deal of educational materials over the years. She was always bringing stuff to school that she thought would interest me or might fit in with something I was teaching. When she retired I received the mother lode! Her basement was stuffed full of books, files and boxes covering every learning topic under the sun. She shared her home with me numerous occasions and I always came away with more "stuff". But, The most important thing Elaine shared with me was her classroom. I was assigned to her room for sixteen weeks and I had complete control for fourteen of those weeks. Most student teachers had to phase in and out over four weeks each and so that left them only eight weeks to really run the classroom so I had double the experience of my peers. This really helped my confidence and was critical in my ability to get a teaching job.

Elaine was a magnanimous person and this made her an excellent teacher. She seemed tough at first. I remember her telling me that I shouldn't smile for the first four weeks of school so that my student would know that I meant business. But she was really a big softie who saw the wonder in all of her students. I remember that we had a student in our classroom who had exceptional verbal skills and so she sought out a speech contest for him to participate in. She engaged another difficult student who liked to doodle by encouraging him to enter an art contest. She gave one troublemaker more responsibility because she could see that he had natural leadership skills that just needed to be pointed in the right direction. Elaine saw her students as individuals with potential and she always marveled at their giftedness in whatever form it took. I felt that she did that for me as well. I had worked with several after school programs and she could see that I didn't need a babysitter. She encouraged me to follow my instincts and gave me the opportunity to find my own way.

In November, Elaine passed away unexpectedly at the age of 75. When I told Mike of her death, his only comment was simply, "That's too bad. She was good to you." Indeed, Elaine was good to me- a mentor and an example of the way that I would like to be. She will be missed.