I want to remember Lois Hautamaki who died on Tuesday. She was 57 years old.
She was my principal/co-worker/friend/teaching mentor for the 6 years I taught at Heritage Christian Academy. I have known her now for 9 years.
She was a single woman who poured her life into teaching and being an administrator at HCA.
She was incredibly foundational in launching my teaching career. I cannot begin to number all that I have learned from her.
I regret not expressing to her enough how much she impacted my life.
She was my principal/co-worker/friend/teaching mentor for the 6 years I taught at Heritage Christian Academy. I have known her now for 9 years.
She was a single woman who poured her life into teaching and being an administrator at HCA.
She was incredibly foundational in launching my teaching career. I cannot begin to number all that I have learned from her.
I regret not expressing to her enough how much she impacted my life.
A Conglomeration of Thoughts and Memories of Miss H.
- She watched me teach and encouraged me.
- She hugged me and told me she loved me and that she loved my family (even though she rarely saw them).
- She expected excellence from her teachers and herself.
- She came immediately to my classroom very early one morning after I left a tearful message on her voice mail about a difficult situation I was in. She then prayed with me and did everything she could to fix the problem and stood by me the entire time. I was loved and supported.
- She wrote Christmas cards and "end of the year" cards to each teacher. She didn't just sign her name, she wrote lengthy and thoughtful words (in amazingly neat handwriting).
- She prayed for each of her teachers daily....and if they had a spouse and kids, she prayed for them too.
- She worked hard at doing things that did not come naturally for her.
- She made it a point to learn each child in the entire school (300-400 students) by name.
- She embraced her singleness and lived it fully.
- She never gave up and stuck to her guns...even if it wasn't always popular.
- She called me up one year after I had my first baby and told me she had the perfect part time teaching position for me. She was right.
- She often shared personal things.
- Her eyes welled up with tears a lot. She was a passionate woman.
- Her life evidenced a deep love for Jesus.
5 comments:
I don't even know this woman...but my eyes welled up just reading your description of her!! What an awesome woman of God...I don't blame Him for wanting her so early :)
Sounds like Miss H was an incredible woman, and that you learned a lot from her. I'm sorry you have to go through the grief of missing her, but it is obvious you'll see her again. Thanks for sharing her with the rest of us who weren't so lucky to know her!
hugs,
elisa
I, too, did not know this woman and welled up with tears as I read and re-read this. Thank you for sharing this-it is really inspiring to me as a teacher. Thank God He gives us special role models and mentors like her.
Sara
Thank you expressing "Lois" so well. I miss her terribly! Today is her birthday. She loved to celebrate it! And, today she is dancing with our Daddy before the Lord. I just want to thank you...your words of love have comforted my heart.
Diann
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