Actually, this isn't quite right but it's pretty close. And it wasn't exactly English class but the English teacher. I went to my final writers festival event on Thursday and had the great pleasure of having a converstaion with Spider Robinson (who I then emailed and have since received a response from. WOOHOO! Rubbing elbows with the stars. Do you even KNOW who Spider Robinson is? Maybe not such a great star but a great guy and author just the same. Go out and read him. Might surprise yourself!). As I was sitting in the audience, I saw a familiar face walk by. "Ms. MacPherson!" I yelled. Nothing. Then I tried "Linley". She turned around and that was it. We talked, and talked. Made arrangements for coffee afterwards. More talking. Three hours later I was on my way to school. Three hours of endless chatter. It was WONDERFUL.

Ms. Mac, as I referred to her in highschool, was my grade 9, 10 and 11 English teacher. She opened my eyes to a lot of things including great books, great movies, great television and great music. To this day, she is still one of the biggest influences in my life and I haven't even seen her for well over 6 years. She'll never know how important she was in me developing into, well, me. She sparked my love for reading and writing, encouraged me when I didn't think I could be encouraged anymore and pushed whe she shouldn't have but I was secretly glad she did. It was wonderful to see her. We've exchanged contact information. She's still as anti technology as I remember her ever being and a computer is way beyond her. I plan to follow up. Keep in touch and maybe, maybe one day I can tell her just how large of an impression she left on me.

Spider Robinson
Teachers