Throughout my life, I have had important people who have left a deep mark on who I am. One of them was Ms. Mireya, who taught fourth grade at the school where I went to elementary school.
Mireya was never actually my teacher; I was never in her classroom, nor was I formally her student, but during the entire time I was in school, she took it upon herself to educate me in a different way.
My interactions with her took place during recess. At that time, teachers took turns supervising the children while they were outside the classroom.
I remember one day I was walking distractedly across the schoolyard, carrying something in my hand, perhaps a soda or one of the snacks my mother sent us in our lunchboxes. Suddenly, without realizing it, I bumped into the teacher and dropped what I was carrying. My reaction at that moment was one of great sadness. My eyes welled up and tears began to roll down my cheeks.
Then Teacher Mireya put her hand on my head and said in a very calm voice, “Don't worry, it can happen to anyone. Life is full of mishaps.” She then asked me my name. I told her my last name, and in response, she invited me to go with her to the school cafeteria. There, she bought me a full breakfast. I didn't know what to say, I just thanked her and stared at her big green eyes. “Go back to the playground and enjoy your breakfast,” she said in the same calm voice she had used to comfort me minutes before.
From that day on, every time there was a break, I would go to Ms. Mireya's classroom for a while, say hello, and talk to her for a few minutes, but more than talking, I listened to what she had to say. Each visit became a kind of private lesson where the teacher talked to me about the things of life. At the time, I was not fully aware of the importance of what she was saying. However, as time went by, I realized that all those words contained key messages that would help guide me in life. When I reached sixth grade, I said goodbye to the school, and for a long time I heard nothing more about that beloved teacher.
Years later, I began my studies to become a teacher at the Pedagogical University of Caracas. One day, while walking through the courtyard, I heard someone calling my name. The voice sounded familiar; I knew I had heard it more than once, but at that moment I couldn't recognize it. It was Teacher Mireya, who was also doing postgraduate studies at the same university.
When I saw her, I was surprised. I invited her for coffee, asked her how she was doing, she asked me how I was doing, and we resumed a conversation we hadn't had since our school days.
From that moment on, I became closer friends with my old teacher. One day she invited me to her house, I met her daughters and her husband, and I began to visit her frequently. Just like in our school days, Mireya continued to talk about interesting and valuable things in life. Now, as a slightly more mature young man, I was able to appreciate much better everything that this good woman had to say to me.
During all the years I was in teacher training college, I maintained my relationship with Mireya. However, when I moved to Maracay, I stopped visiting her, lost track of her, and stopped seeing her. Nevertheless, her pleasant presence is always in my heart. I have no doubt that she was one of the most important people in my life.
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Translated with DeepL.com (free version).
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