Thanks For The 27 Years, Mrs. Harvey!

Hey there, Ms. Viv ‘Nim Fanatics!

With the recent news surrounding Sarah Elizabeth Douglas (her engagement to Duane Anoai and her recent graduation from Goss University), we have a special blockbuster announcement from another one of my characters.

After 27 years of teaching the First Grade class at Sapp Elementary, Cynthia Carol Harvey (nee Patterson) will be hanging up the chalk on Friday, June 17, 2011. Mrs. Harvey broke the news to her team at the Christmas 2010 assembly, saying that the 2010-11 school year would indeed be her last.

As of right now, Principal Winifred Wilson is reviewing resumes, but let the truth be told—there will never be another teacher quite like Mrs. Harvey.

Born on August 4, 1940 in Duluth, Minnesota as the oldest of seven children, Mrs. Harvey graduated from University of Minnesota-Duluth in 1962 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a minor in Child Psychology. After getting married and raising four children, Mrs. Harvey moved to Los Angeles, California in 1983, where she applied for the position of First Grade teacher at Sapp Elementary. She got the job in 1984, and in her own words, “ain’t let go of it since.” When her husband passed away in 2000, Mrs. Harvey found solace in teaching.

Not too many people know this, but Mrs. Harvey emphatically suggested that colleague Bret Douglas join the Sapp Community on account of the fact that like her, Bret was born and raised in the Gopher State.

When asked what was the most rewarding thing about being a teacher, Mrs. Harvey said, “The most rewarding thing to me is that every year, I get a new crop of First Graders from all walks of life. To be honest, I should’ve retired in 2008, but something pulled me back in. I guess it was the desire and the passion that I had to teach the young folks.”

As previously mentioned, Mrs. Harvey’s last teaching day at Sapp Elementary is on June 17, 2011—ironically enough, that is the last day of school. We asked Mrs. Harvey how she would like the Sappsters to remember her, and she said, “I have no doubt in my mind that, no matter how many credentials and accolades I have achieved, my students will forever remember me as ‘that old lady with the pretty red hair.’ And you know something—they would be absolutely right!”

In celebration of Mrs. Harvey’s career, we took the liberty to post her profile in today’s blog.


MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT:Saturday, May 31, 2008—that was the day that Nikki Douglas graduated from Tennessee State University. As her former First Grade teacher, it made me happy as a peacock to see her strut her stuff up on that stage and show off her Bachelor’s Degree in Education.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT:It was sometime in 1989. A student was teaching me the Kid ‘N Play dance, and… well, it’s not really important.

FAVORITE ACTOR: Morgan Freeman

FAVORITE ACTRESS: Ja’net Dubois

FAVORITE SINGER: Ben E. King

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Dennis the Menace

FAVORITE MOVIE: Lean On Me

FAVORITE ATHLETE: James Worthy

FAVORITE CARTOON: Care Bears

FAVORITE COLOR: Red (isn’t it obvious by my hair? LOL!)

FAVORITE FOOD: Turkey Burger

FAVORITE ICE CREAM: Orange Sherbet

SECRET TALENT: I love to teach.

IN MY FREE TIME, I LIKE TO:
Spend time with my grandchildren.

IF I COULD’VE DONE IT DIFFERENTLY:
Everything would still be as it is.

MY ROLE MODEL(S) GROWING UP:
My mother, Esther Patterson.

THE BEST ADVICE EVER GIVEN TO ME:
Don’t forget to remember that you are special

SOMEONE WHO SHARES MY BIRTHDAY:
Louie “Satchmo” Armstrong, and my main man, Mr. Barack Obama

MY DREAM/GOAL IN LIFE IS TO:
Still teach, because you never ever stop learning.

THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE ME:
Witty, Wise, and Wonderful

MY BEST FRIEND (ACE-BOOM-KOOM)
Each and every faculty member at Sapp Elementary.

MY FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT:
Duluth, Minnesota

IF I HAD ONE WISH:I would love to be 25 again… just for fifteen minutes, don’tcha know.

SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT ME:
I am a natural redhead, and that brings to mind a funny story. On very first day of teaching, a student innocently asked me if my hair was really red. I thought of that episode of I Love Lucy, when she was asked the same question, and like Lucy, I said: “Well, it should be—I paid enough for it!” And the class just laughed their hearts away.