Gleaning Facebook: Reconnecting -- Tracy Cordle

Shelly Burkhalter, Tracy Cordle, Lori Cochran on Kaleidoscope Rock in Booze Creek at Pepperell Elementary School, 1982

One of the first former students who friended me on Facebook was Tracy Cordle (Baker). Tracy with Shelly Burkhalter and Lori Cochran were three little girls who were one of my gifted classes at Pepperell Elementary School. I think I taught them for several years. It is an absolute joy to reconnect with so many beloved students. Here is what she wrote on my Facebook page a few days after I joined the social media revolution...

Wow, this was worth joining facebook for. I just want to let you know that when you were up for the teacher of the year this year I told everyone that would listen how deserving you were. Oh well you don't have to get a plaque for the wall to know that you have probably been the teacher of the year for many years. Well last year I inteviewed for a job at Pepperell Primary school and in my interview I again mentioned you and Eloise Childs as the two people who most affected me during my years at Pepperell Elem. so in case you've never heard it Thanks! I went to Floyd College and got my assoc. in human services and on to Berry where I graduated from in 96. I got married in 97 and taught pre-k one year at Rebecca Blaylock. Then I went on to the wonderful world of motherhood with a beautiful baby boy and stayed at home for a few years. I worked part time at Sylvan Learning Center.

Ok I didn't know you were limited by what you could write anyway, I had another baby, a girl, and went to work part time at Calvary Baptist Weelearn while they were there. When Caitlin went to K last year I subbed and renewed my lapsed teaching certificate and this year I am a 36 year old 1st year teacher at Pepperell Primary in Pre-K. Whew!! I have a great husband who is a UPS driver and 2 awesome kids. My son was tested for gifted in K and is an awesome baseball player. My daughter is the spitting image of me both physically and attitude. ( I know I'm in trouble, I think they call it paying for your raising). I am thrilled to know that you are doing well and maybe one of these days we can catch a show you are in. I'd love to hear just one more time.....Twas brillig.......and oh yea the rock in the creek is still at PPS but it sure does look a lot smaller.

Eloise sells ice cream everyday at PPS. Obviously I remember Jaberwocky and the enthusiasm with which you told it. I remember getting out of the classroom a lot, like sitting on the rock in the creek to write poetry especially when for the 1st few years it was just me, lori and shelly. I remember a unit on the blue and the gray. I remember how Marshal Forest was like our own special place and there was a big unveiling of the braille trail and they found some kind of almost extinct flower there we went to see. I remember that we had COMPUTERS, wow what were are those funny things. We would work for weeks on a program to make a dot dance across the screen. Line 20 to line 10. A lot more exciting than just sitting at a desk. I don't remember many worksheets!