Teresa Deak

Mrs. Deak was my kindergarten teacher, and that of my younger brother as well. We could not have asked for a better start in life! Mrs. Deak told my mom not to worry but I would never be good at math (I'm terrible at it, actually) but to keep an eye on my reading because I was exceptional (which I turned out to be, reading at a college level by fifth grade). It was as if Mrs. Deak could see the future of her tiny charges unfolding between the ages of five and six. She did her best to guide...

What a special Kindergarten teacher she was. So sweet and kind. She told students on their first day, when the parents brought them to her room, that she would be wearing that exact same outfit the next day, so they would remember her, trying to put the kids at ease. She lived in our neighborhood and our kids just thought that was the coolest thing.