2A ܂ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018 ܂ APPEAL TRIBUNE
Teacher
Continued from Page 1A
ducing 3- and-4-year-olds to school,
showering them with encouragement
along the way. At age 60, she’s just
wrapping up another year of teaching
four separate preschool classes.
She’s that teacher who hand-paints
students’ faces for her annual Kitty Cat
Party, compiles class cooking experi-
ences into a book with every kid’s pic-
ture on every page, and wipes down her
classroom every 15 minutes during the
school day to accommodate a students
with a chronic illness.
“There are always waiting lists for
Teacher Meg’s classes,” said Teresa
Zade, who works at the school. “We’ve
even had parents ask to be on the list
right after the birth of their baby.”
“On top of her seemingly unending
love and energy, she has a genuine pas-
sion for teaching preschool kids,” Biele-
meier said. “The amount of time, effort,
and money she puts into learning how
to best teach our kids is beyond admira-
ble.”
“All of my children have been fortu-
nate to have Teacher Meg as their first
teacher and all of them still run up to
her for one of her enveloping hugs every
time they see her,” Sheldon said. “Her
love is so evident, so convincing, that
years later, my big boys are still swept
up in her presence every time they see
her.”
Teaching at a private preschool is no
way to fund world travel, so, earlier this
spring, when friends inquired whether
Meg, a single mom, would visit her col-
lege-age daughter, Emily, while the 20-
year-old studies art and architecture in
Italy this summer, she replied that she
couldn’t afford it.
Privately, though, she’s always
wanted to visit the land of her forbears.
Of Sicilian descent, she loves to cook
Italian food and family recipes and re-
tell the stories of her immigrant grand-
mother, Teresa Privaterra. She loves
food, art and culture with an intensity
that she’s passed on to her daughter
and 36-year-old son, Kyle.
Meg hasn’t traveled out of the coun-
try since she was in her 20s, and the far-
thest she’s gone in the last 13 years was
Iowa, Emily said.
“We’ve always been financially lim-
ited, so the only place we’ve been able
to go is in the U.S.,” Emily said. “She has
been a joyful bystander while both her
children travel internationally without
so much as an inch of jealousy, only
miles of enthusiasm.”
When Meg heard Emily would travel
to Rome to study for eight weeks this
summer, “she started screaming and
jumping up and down,” Bielemeier said.
So, at an end-of-the-year preschool
party, she and Sheldon decided to try to
make her dream a reality.
Reaching parents was tricky because
they didn’t want to alert Meg until
they’d gathered up donations, maybe
$500 or $1,000, they thought. They
compiled a list of nearly 100 families,
made a private group on Facebook, and
quietly introduced a GoFundMe cam-
paign online.
In 24 hours, donors gave $3,000. By
the third day, donations climbed to
$4,930, with 70 contributors. And now
that Meg knows about the fundraiser,
it’ll keep going.
“I’m not really surprised by the
amount of money donated, but I’m to-
tally shocked how fast it came in,” Bie-
lemeier said. “People are so generous
and loving. They want to help; they
have it in them; it just takes a worthy
cause.”
Donations of $20, $50, $100 and
$200 came rolling in, many with com-
ments about how Meg bettered their
kids’ – and their own – lives.
“Teacher Meg is a ray of sunshine
and love on the children and families
she touches,” wrote Erin Redling. “As a
parent I was able to learn the ability to
incorporate fun in structure with chil-
dren from Teacher Meg.”
“I thought, ‘This lady is too good to be
true,’” added parent Nicole Orton, who
first met Meg at a Silverton Together
parenting classes. “With babies, she
never got annoyed … she just laughed
when they spit up … now I know this la-
dy is a godsend!”
Parents like Orton, who met Meg in
parenting classes, often went on to en-
roll their kids in preschool. Older kids at
the K-8 Christian school once housed at
the church took afternoon art classes
from her. She also served as the artist in
residence at Eugene Field School.
“My favorite is watercolor, but I dab-
ble in everything,” Meg said. “I love to
do art, but, even more than that, I love
to teach it.”
Overall, Meg is a student of her stu-
dents. She’s fascinated with each
stages of child development, curious
about what kids’ brains are doing as
they grow up. Understanding them
makes her uniquely compassionate to
their needs.
“Teacher Meg took my son, who was
a little broken from a bad experience,
(and turned him into) a boy who was
ready for kindergarten and had a new
love for school and art … (he) loved
Teacher Meg so much that he would tell
her loudly throughout the day!” said
IN BRIEF
“Teacher Meg took my son, who was a
little broken from a bad experience,
(and turned him into) a boy who was
ready for kindergarten and had a new
love for school and art … (he) loved
Teacher Meg so much that he would
tell her loudly throughout the day!”
Heather Davis, parent
parent Heather Davis.
Meg picked up some of her teaching
skills while growing up with four sib-
lings. As a youngster, she also babysat
constantly. And if she couldn’t multi-
task initially, she learned how to do that
– and to stay calm – during 14 years as a
police dispatcher.
All of this combines to create a
teacher who’s unforgettable to those
she’s served over the years. When she
runs into past students and their fam-
ilies; she remembers names and doles
out hugs like no time has passed.
“She’s just naturally that way,” Emily
said. “She’ll wake up in the morning,
and be full of energy, drinking her cof-
fee, and ready to go. A trip to Italy
couldn’t be a better fit: “Coffee, wine,
art, food. She will appreciate it all.”
More donation details can be found
online at https://www.gofundme.com/
send-teacher-meg-to-italy.
June brings free
concerts to senior center
SILVERTON – In June, musicians and
bands will give free indoor concerts at
1 p.m. every Friday inside Silverton
Senior Center. Audience members are
invited to bring lunches or call several
days ahead to order lunches for $3
apiece. All ages are invited. Donations
will be accepted. The remaining mu-
sical offerings for this month are Sarah
Cleary on June 15, Silverton Ukulele
Network on June 22 and Old Time
Fiddler’s Association on June 29. For
more information, call 503-873-6906
or visit the center at 115 Westfield
Street.
— Christena Brooks
Annual strawberry
festival is Father’s Day
The 67th annual Silverton Hills Straw-
berry Festival is Saturday, June 17.
The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
in Coolidge McClaine park. The cost is
$6, with those under age 2 and over
age 80 eating free. For more informa-
tion, call 503-873-5615.
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