so today marks the six-month anniversary of losing ms. susan bank. some of you who read this do not know who she is. i say is, not was. as in (and she might kill me if she knew i were quoting it) harry potter, one is not truly gone when those still loyal remain. ms. bank was one of the most intelligent and passionate people i have ever met. it has been six months since she died from colon cancer, and i feel that i need to write some things down in honor of her life.
for those of you who did not know her, she was an easy person to please, as long as you did your best. so, naturally, our class had a hard time pleasing her. she was our tenth grade honors english professor, for simply calling her a teacher does not seem to fit. we were a college class reading college literature with a children’s book thrown in for effect. there were days when i thought she was the most wise/intelligent person that had walked the earth; there were days i wanted to kill her. however, one thing was consistent, she was there to impart her immense knowledge to us.
she spent every day filling our minds with new, innovative thought that we did not understand. some still don't. she wished us to find ourselves instead of letting others do the work for us. her strict, deep, and powerful love was more than we could have imagined.
and yet we still took it for granted. it was about mid-may 2004 when we walked into class to find a ms. bank that, while strong in disposition, was weak at heart. it was on that day that she revealed the horrible news that she had contracted colon cancer. however, her prognosis was hopeful. we left that summer believing that nothing could go ill. when we returned in the fall, she was at school, but the treatments were not going well. her first surgery had not been a success, but she was still, as ever, strong-willed. she returned after another failed surgery a few weeks later. once again she was forced to leave because of her health. it was the last time she would teach at spain park.
on thursday, january 27th, ms. bank was sent home to be put in hospice. everyone else had lost hope. on friday, january 28th, she went into a coma, and on saturday, january 29th, ms. bank passed away.
six months later and the pain is still fresh. however, one thing that is certain is that she is not in any more pain. her memory and her teaching is alive in everyone who has had her. it is her wisdom that was laid upon us in that one school year, not knowledge. for knowledge can be garnered from unwise, soulless sources. what we were blessed with was a friend and mentor who passed along information, yes, but more so passed along her passion which cannot be taken from us even in death.
for ms. bank, no work of literature was more important in the year we had her than the little prince by antoine de saint-exupéry. we read shakespeare, henry james, stephen crane, and many other notable authors. however, the book that gave her the most joy was a little children's that taught more lessons than all the other works combined.
as i watched the sun set yesterday my mind wandered to that book and its statement, "one loves the sunset, when one is so sad." i realized the simple truth there as all the other truths delivered from ms. bank rushed back to me. i realized how important even children's books can be. so my challenge to you, whoever you may be, is hopefully similar to the one i believe she would give you, though not put nearly as cliché as how i will put it.
do not judge a book by its cover, and live every day as though it is your last.
