Dear Michelle and Family, I taught with Hilda quite a few years ago at Bowcroft Elementary School, in Calgary in Bowness. I taught Kindergarten, she taught ‘the older kids’. Although we never became close friends, we did chat in the staff room and in the halls and I did visit her when she retired and she and your dad moved. I remember two specific things about your mum, one kind of silly although I did share it with her during the afore-mentioned visit. When she walked through the halls of Bowcroft, with her class following behind, she always carried her head high and her purse on one arm. Thinking back to some of the issues inherent at that particular school, probably she carried it so it did not get ‘lost’ if left behind. But I also always felt that it reflected a hint of the past, when a well-bred lady wore gloves (your mum did not wear gloves in school!) and carried a purse. As she walked down the hall from her room to the Music Room or the Gym, her class was always quietly walking in single file behind her and she never had to turn her head to keep track of them. This leads me to my second point…your mum as a teacher. Our school was a very difficult school with many behaviour problems, broken homes and sad stories . Your mum created a firm but fair and welcoming environment for all the children in her class and respected each one as an individual, even while dealing with some difficult and stressful situations. She always spoke warmly and hopefully of her pupils and her quiet and structured approach seemed to work wonders, probably providing the sense of consistency and security that they needed…hence her ability to walk down the hall and know the children were still in a line behind her! Believe me, that was not an easy accomplishment given the backgrounds of many of them.
Unfortunately, I was out of town during Hilda’s funeral so could not attend but I did want to share my happy memories of and respect for your mother, with you. April Vyas
