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16 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ТРАВЕНЬ 2017 A Shining Light When I think of the years I spent in Ukrainian school, most of the memo- ries seem to be gray. The drably painted classrooms were always cold and dark. The exposed pipes downstairs made it feel like the basement of an old factory: dusty, dark, and dull. Every memory is drained of col- or, except for the memories of 6th grade. Those memories are always bursting with color, because that was the year my teacher was Pani Marta Chajkowsky. Pani Marta completely transformed that classroom. No, she didn't paint the walls or deco- rate with items from a teaching catalog. She transformed it by simply walking into the room. Colors and light seemed to beam out of her in all directions, reaching the top corners of the water- stained ceiling and the rusty book case in the back of the room. Her never fading smile and always perfectly timed kind word magically made it feel like a different place. Most people would agree that sixth grade is a rough time, especially for girls. You're not lit- tle, you're not grown up, everything is changing, and you don't really know why. No matter what you look like, you feel like you are the only one who doesn't fit in with the crowd. Pani Marta made that year of my life easier, simply because she treated every student equally. From the per- fectly popular to the geekiest of geeks, and all the rest of us who fit somewhere in between, everyone mattered to Pani Marta. Teaching mattered to Pani Marta too. She was the only teacher I had in Ukrainian school that didn't make us sit in even rows facing for- ward. Instead we sat in a semi-circle so that eve- ryone could hear and see you when you spoke be- cause every voice was important. She brought the lessons to life with fun activities and teaching methods that were previously unheard of and un- seen at Ukrainian school. I learned more in that year than I did in all the years I spent at that school (before and after Pani Marta). I learned because she made learning exciting and interest- ing. We read current event articles about Ukraine, created amazing book reports, and even made up our own board games themed around Ukrainian history. We designed the game, created the board and playing pieces, and even filmed a commercial for it. That was the best project I ever worked on. Sixth grade came to an end, I said good- bye to Pani Marta and went on with my life. I would occasionally see her at the Ukrainian cen- ter or at some Ukrainian community event. She always asked how I was doing and wished me the best. I have no way of knowing whether she ever knew that the time I spent in her classroom and those occasional encounters inspired where my future would eventually lead: Pani Marta made me want to be a teacher, but not just any teach- er—I wanted to be like her. Years later, I did become a teacher. Now, as I teach, memories of Pani Marta continue to inspire me to try new techniques, to push the en- velope, and to stay off the beaten path. I can only hope that one day I can make some student feel the way she made me feel. One of my biggest re- grets is that I never told Pani Marta how great she was or how she changed my life that year. I like to think that she is looking down from heaven and watching me teach Ukrainian school now. I hope I've made her proud. Unlike many people who may read this tribute to an amazing teacher, I never really knew Pani Marta outside of that classroom. I didn’t grow up or go to school with her. We didn’t go to camp together or attend the same social events. I knew her only as my teacher. It was just recently that I learned that Pani Marta was a member of UNWLA Branch 88, which is the branch that I am now a member of. Unfortunately, when she was a member, I was too young to join. I think it would have been amazing to work beside her and call her my sister. Pani Marta brightened up many class- rooms, but she also brightened up many lives. When she left us in October of 2016, this light was not extinguished—it simply moved to heaven and now illuminates the sky. Though her friends and former sisters in Branch 88 miss her dearly, I know (and hope they know) that her light will never stop shining. Now, whenever I see a rain- bow, I like to imagine that Pani Marta helped make it, to brighten things up for the rest of us once again. — Irena Gramiak (Renia Prokopovych)
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