Thank you, Linda, for being you and for all you did for all of us.
It took me years to figure out that you were sending your best students to me. I thought it was just a testament to your excellence as a teacher that your name showed up so often on my beginning-of-the-year questionnaire about the best course or teacher my incoming students had had. Finally I caught on that you were sharing your best students with me – and I am so grateful: because of you, I have had the pleasure of working with and becoming friends with so many of the smart, funny, passionate people who knew your greatness and generosity as a teacher and a friend.
Because it would have been very unLinda of you to talk about your income and position at OU, most of your students don’t know just how true it was of you that you taught for love of teaching and of writing and of reading and not for money, because there simply wasn’t much money involved. I know how grateful you were when the English Department was finally authorized to move you into a full-time position with security of employment and full benefits – but I will also always remember when you came in to my office midway through your first semester teaching three courses at a time and you old me you didn’t think you could do it because with the greater courseload and larger student load you didn’t have time to comment adequately on student writing. You were seriously considering going back to part-time and lower pay because you felt that you were letting your students down. How much love you had for your students! How passionate you were about their writing! In truth, the research shows that most students don’t benefit much from comments on their writing – but yours did, because your comments came from both your excellent mind and your full heart. Your comments changed lives. Ave, Linda!
More Memories
from Brian Connery