Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Guest Post – Who has influenced you the most in your life? – A Special Teacher by Darlene Foster

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BERJAYA

This series is about the person you feel has had the most influence on your life and has shaped the person you are today, and what you have achieved.  That might be in reaching personal goals or to do with your career.

This is of course also a marketing opportunity for your blog and books, and a showcase of your writing skills.

At the end of the post you can find out how you can participate in this series.

A Special Teacher by Darlene Foster

I have been lucky to have had many people influence and inspire me over the years. My parents, grandparents, aunts, older friends and cousins, employers and other adults. But the person who made a huge difference in my young life was a special teacher.

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Miss Roll and me in Grade three 

There are teachers who teach the curriculum and hope that some of it sticks and then there are teachers who change your life. I was fortunate to have one of those extraordinary teachers in my third grade. Fate must have brought Shirley Roll to our small prairie school in the southeast corner of Alberta for her first year of teaching. It was indeed a stroke of luck that she was there just when I, a naïve farm girl, needed her.

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Our Grade Three class in front of a huge mural we created and with our class pet budgie, Chico. 

Miss Roll introduced us to learning new things in a fun, interactive way. When we learned about Mexico in Social Studies, we were given Mexican names, ate chilli con carne for the first time, wore serapes and sombreros and listened to Mexican music. While learning poetry, we put on a puppet show. I was “The Pirate Don Duke of Dowdai” and made my own puppet. With the money we raised from the puppet show, popcorn sales and other fundraisers, we took a three-hour bus trip to the Jubilee Auditorium in the city of Calgary. We were kids who never went much further than twenty miles from home. To visit a big city like Calgary was exciting. For our part in the Christmas concert, we performed A Christmas Carol as a puppet show. What better way to learn Dickens at age nine? Miss Roll played the Grande Canyon Suite for us on her portable record player. She brought the world and culture to us.

At the end of Grade three I received a prize, The Bobbsey Twins in Mexico by Laura Lee Hope, signed by Miss Roll, “For marks of highest achievements in Grade three”. I still have the book on my shelves.

Not only an excellent teacher, she was a great role model for young girls. Always perfectly groomed and poised, she had a wonderful modern wardrobe and everything matched: shoes, purse, nails, lipstick etc. We couldn’t wait to see what she would wear to school the next day and would argue over which outfit was the best. I wanted to be just like her; smart, fun, adventurous and well put together.

Miss Roll recognized my vivid imagination and encouraged me to travel, to read beyond my level, and to write my stories down. She also encouraged me to be the best I could be in spite of limited resources, and to be a role model for others.

I never forgot her over the years and always wished I could thank her for what she did for me. Eventually I tracked Shirley Roll Tucker down through the internet. I discovered that she had retired from teaching and had written some books and plays. We connected and kept in touch by email.

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I met Shirley Roll Tucker in 2010 

Then, a few years ago, I attended a reading of Shirley’s latest book, The Amazing Foot Race of 1921 and finally met with her after all those years. She was still beautiful, full of grace and eloquence. We had a lovely chat, as if the many years between hadn’t happened.

She has since passed away, but what a wonderful feeling it was to be able to tell her the difference she had made in my life.

©Darlene Foster

My thanks to Darlene for sharing this very special person in her life and I know she would love to hear from you.. 

A selection of books by Darlene Foster.

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One of the reviews for Amanda in Ireland. 

Pete Springer
5.0 out of 5 stars Amanda to the Rescue

Amanda Ross at twelve years old has seen more of the world than most of us will ever see in our lifetime. This time Darlene Foster’s star protagonist isn’t traveling with her BFF Leah but off to to Ireland as a junior bridesmaid in her cousin Taylor’s wedding. In her customary writing style, Foster blends a mystery while also teaching readers about the geography and culture of a region.

The suspense starts right off the bat when Taylor’s fiancee (Roison) and her prized horse (Aoife) go missing. Adding to the drama, Amanda suspects that Jim, Taylor’s best man, may somehow be involved in her disappearance, but she doesn’t want to come out and make a wild accusation without some proof first. Despite the police and Taylor, to a lesser degree, instructing Amanda to let the garda handle the search, her curious nature and desire to help get the better of her. There are signs she is getting closer, finding horse trailers, horse tracks, manure, and the smell of Roison’s perfume, and with danger lurking, Amanda is determined to find Taylor’s future wife.

One feature of Foster’s story, the eleventh one in the series, that I thought she did well was to create characters that weren’t obviously heroes or villains, which kept me guessing. The one thing I wrestled with as a reader was that the family wasn’t more distraught at the potential kidnapping and continued to go on making plans for the wedding. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read with the author providing many facts about the setting in the flow of the story. 

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Website/Blog: Darlene Foster WordPress – Goodreads: Goodreads – Twitter: @supermegawoman – Bluesky: @darlenefoster.bsky.social  BERJAYA

About Darlene Foster

Growing up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, traveling the world, and meeting interesting people. She also believed in making her dreams come true. It’s no surprise she’s now the award-winning author of Amanda Travels, a children’s adventure series featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. When not traveling herself, Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia.

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Some guidelines.

  • If you look back at your life, who would you say had the most influence on who you are today or your life’s achievements?
  • It might be a parent, grandparent, or other relation, perhaps a teacher, employer or someone who you only encountered for a brief period, but changed the course of your life in a positive way.
  • It might be someone you have never met but influenced you in another way such as by their actions or a book that you read by them. This is a tribute to that person.
  • It can be a post your have already written or one that is unpublished.
  • If already published just send me the link.
  • I will top and tail the post with the usual links and a recent review etc.
  • This is an opportunity to show off your writing skills and to encourage readers to follow your blog or buy your books…dress to impress.

What I need from you sent to my email sallygcronin@gmail.com

If you are have been promoted here before.

I just need your word document 1000 to 1500 words and two or three photographs to break up the text.. perhaps of you at that stage in your life or one of the person who you are writing about.

If they are an author then an Amazon link so I can copy the cover of their book or books with a link.

If you have not been featured on the blog before

  • In addition to the word document and photographs for the post I will need your information.
  • A profile photograph, up to date  biography, social media links for website or blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin.
  • If you are an author your Amazon Author page, Goodreads and Bookbub if you are there too.

Once I have received your post

  • I will schedule and let you have the date.
  • On the day of publication I will send you a link for the post.
  • It would be great if you could share your post on your social media.
  • I ask that all comments are responded to individually as it does make a difference to the number of times the post is shared.
  • When shared on social media I will tag you if you are on that platform and it would be great if you could thank the person who has shared the post..

I am looking forward to discovering the amazing people who have inspired you and sharing them here in this series… get in touch… thanks Sally. 

 

117 thoughts on “Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Guest Post – Who has influenced you the most in your life? – A Special Teacher by Darlene Foster”

  2. what a lovely post and how lucky are you Darlene to have had such a great inspirational teacher when you were so young in Alberta. I enjoyed reading your post and seeing your photos too. It’s nice you also got to meet her again before she passed away. I am sure she really enjoyed meeting up with you and was proud of all you have accomplished so far in life…I know I am:)

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Miss Roll was certainly an amazing teacher, and it is amazing you still remember so much about her. Measles, chicken pox, and rubella is pretty much the only thing I remember from third grade. It is great that you made contact with her. This post was also a good reminder that I want to send in a contribution too. But in my case the influencer is my dog(s).

    Pete wrote a great and very helpful review for Amanda in Ireland.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. I really enjoyed this lovely post, Darlene and Sally! How wonderful that you kept the photos back then of your teacher and class. It was especially nice to hear you connected with your teacher after so many years. You definitely have shined in your writing journey.
    Thank you so much for sharing this story. 🥰

    Liked by 2 people

  9. I enjoyed this reading. I too can relate to thise teachers who made school a pleasant experience. They were substitute parents, and then they became friends as I became a man and would take my nieces and nephews to the same school.

    a beautiful share.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Ooh, I love Darlene’s remembrances of such a special teacher in her life! Then, years later, for her to connect with Shirley Roll again must have meant the world to both of them.

    Liked by 3 people

  16. What a wonderful teacher, full of the enthusiasm of the new teacher. Of course new teachers can also take a long time to find their feet, not so Miss Roll! A primary teacher does have the opportunity to make learning fun if they have enough imagination. So good you got to meet up with her.

    Liked by 3 people

  20. What a lovely post, Darlene – and what a pretty little girl you were!! You’re one of those people (I have always thought!) who make the best out of everything, which is reflected in your tracking her down in later years. This is just what I needed to read today xx

    Liked by 3 people

  22. What a lovely tribute.

    As a teacher I know how much your class mean to you in the time you have together.

    it certainly sounds like she was an inspirational teacher.

    Liked by 3 people

  23. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Guest Post – Who has influenced you the most in your life? – A Special Teacher by Darlene Foster – MobsterTiger

  24. How wonderful, not only to have such a role model, but to meet her many years later and let her know the influence she’d had on your life. So many people have a positive influence on young people with whom they come into contact, but never get to know the part they played. Thanks for letting your teacher know that she contributed in this way, Darlene, and for sharing the memories with us. 😊

    Liked by 3 people

  25. Darlene, I think it’s wonderful that you were able to meet this special teacher later in life and share your experiences with her. Interesting that she was also a writer. Clearly you were kindred spirits!

    Liked by 3 people

  28. I remember reading about Miss Roll before. It’s quite possible that Darlene became an ESL teacher because she wanted to impact students the way her teacher did for her.

    Liked by 3 people

  29. Goosebumps. Perfect choice and how delightful that you got to meet her years later, for her as well to know how much her encouragement has meant. (I’ve also been enjoying Darlene’s exciting Amanda tales.)

    Liked by 3 people

  30. Darlene’s thoughts about her third-grade teacher are very nice to read. It’s great to learn about her and read that wonderful review of her book. Thank you for sharing it with us, Sally.

    Liked by 4 people

  31. What a great post. I love that not only did she give you the desire to travel, but look what you did with that wanderlust, Darlene. How special to meet her so many years later.

    Liked by 4 people

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