3. Candy Nattland

3. Candy Nattland. Ms. Nattland was my second grade teacher at Edgemont School. I think even by the time I was in second grade I already had a lot of conditioning to "stop showing off," and to "stop talking so much," and possibly, to stop being so bossy. I don't remember Ms. Nattland ever saying anything like that to me. She was a wild red headed hippie with long flowing hair and giant 70's glasses. She used to take us camping, on field trips to her house, and on day trips to Bear Mountain. She would read to us and give us the most creative projects and she made every kid in her class feel like they were the star of the show. We were always trying to set her up with my friend Gina's Uncle Jimmy, just so she could be related to us. Gina and I constantly got into mischief in her class, but Ms. Nattland never got mad, she would just redirect us to whatever the task was that we were supposed to be doing. Later she became a some time baby-sitter for my family if my parents would go away on a trip, and that's when we started to call her Candy, instead of Ms. Nattland. I remember once when we went to her house to see her new kittens, it occurred to me that she and her boyfriend only had one bedroom between them, and that seemed pretty scandalous to me at the time. We asked her about it, and she just smiled and shrugged. Everything was natural with her, and I believe her influence, even in second grade, began to set me on a path where I knew that my gifts were unique to and for me, and that I didn't need to cover them up, I could let them shine shine shine. Thanks Candy!