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Last Saturday, on the day I was to carry Indiana’s
Bicentennial torch, it was raining buckets.
I was slated to run for my portion of the relay, taking the torch from a
bike rider and handing the torch to a car rider. I was excited for the day anyway, but when I
actually got to see the torch go by downtown a couple of hours before I was to
go, I got goosebumps and wet eyes and heart palpitations! Just seeing it made me feel that way! My daughter said, “You get to actually carry
it, Mom!” I couldn’t even process!
While I had been excited for the opportunity, I never could
have imagined how truly incredible the experience would actually be. Getting the letter of acceptance as a
torchbearer in Allen County was the beginning. After attending the informational
meeting to learn about the actual torch and our responsibilities as torch
bearers, I talked with our fourth grade teachers about how we could best use
the website and this opportunity to increase student engagement in Indiana
history and geography. They were all in,
of course!
They started having the students check the progress of the
torch each morning when they arrived to see what counties had been covered the
day before. Each county has a bit of
historical information that the fourth graders could learn from, along with
uploaded pictures and video highlights from each day for them to see.
As I made my way to the Chief Richardsville House off of
Bluffton Road, I was nervous but so ready!
About 30 minutes before my slated time, the torch bearer who I would
hand off to, Jacob H. Feichter, came to say hello with his delightful
daughters. We took pictures and I
learned that he is 99 years old! He sure doesn’t look or act like it! He was responsible for amassing the land that
the Old Fort stands on today. He also
goes into the realty office on Berry Street that his father began 130 years ago
every Monday-Friday. What an
inspiration!
Then, the 4th graders from my school started
showing up. They had made torches and
signs, and my heart filled to the brim! Their enthusiasm for the event, and for
me, reminded me once again why we do this teaching thing. Why we use every single opportunity we have
to provide our students with chances to engage and learn and feel the
excitement that goes with learning.
We took pictures, and when the car of Torch organizers came
by to make sure I was ready, I took a picture of the inside of the car that had
all of the extra torches and parts. When
I had talked with the kids the day before to show them my uniform and tell them
what to expect on Saturday, the biggest question was, “What if something goes
wrong?” So the picture was for them. I then found out that the engineering
professor who designed the torch was actually in the first car of the
entourage. I asked, like any teacher would,
“Can he stop and talk to the kids before I leave?” Guess what?
He did! He explained the torch
and the process of building it, and the kids hung on every word he said.
My favorite part was when I was lighting my torch from the bike
rider behind me, and one little girl said, “It’s happening! It’s really happening!”
I will never, ever forget that day. Carrying the torch, waving at people as they
honked and waved back, cheering me on, was truly a once-in-a-lifetime
experience. Honestly, though, the reason
that it will hold such a special place in my heart, and my year of being
Indiana Teacher of the Year, is because of those
