.
Feedback

Retiring Elementary Teacher MaryLynn Pearlman, Woman of 'Tact, Wit, Insight'

It's a larger than usual class of retiring faculty this year; one by one Patch will post their stories.

 

The goal in our ongoing series on the many Retiring Teachers/Principals of the TUFSD was to get them to share their parting thoughts in their words, but it seems some of them really are too busy -- or in the case of elementary teacher MaryLynn Pearlman, "not good at tooting my own horn anyway."

So we hand this one over to the parents.

Here's a touching letter that was passed along to Patch from Todd Dorman and Bev Lavy, parents of Will and Danny, who both had the benefit of a Pearlman education. She's taught for 43 years; they enjoyed her for two:

Dear MaryLynn,

Over our two years with you, you have come to know our two wonderful, highly energetic boys. And we have come to know you.

We have come to know your gift for seeing the whole child, and your gift for understanding how each child fits into the larger community. Best of all, we have seen how you teach from a full acceptance of who each child is, and a devout belief in where they can go.

We have received your wise counsel, and been repeatedly grateful for your tact, your wit, and your insight. We have been grateful to see how children love you, because they can sense with their own wisdom that you truly have their best interests at heart, and the best interests of their friends at heart.

We have been blessed to have Danny in your class and to have Will in your class. We are blessed to know you.

When we think of what you have done for each of our boys—giving them a rock solid foundation for learning and for entering the world creatively, with passion and determination—and we take that number and multiply it by your average class size…Then take that number and multiply it by 43…

What you get is a person who has changed the world.

Thank you.

Love,

Todd Dorman & Bev Lacy

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Loading comments ...
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Julia Costa takes a shot on goal against North Salem
Krista Madsen (Editor) May 22, 2013 at 08:19 am
Hurray Mustangs!
Krista Madsen (Editor) May 21, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Quirk of our new system: for anyone posting just press hard returns twice to make paragraph breaks.Read More Thanks for posting this Mike! Great video!!
Stephanie Segarra May 20, 2013 at 04:56 pm
it happens all over..even whole food! check every date!!!!!!!
Krista Madsen (Editor) May 20, 2013 at 10:42 am
Has this happened to others? black juice...ewww! Thanks for writing.
medibeads@gmail.com
Krista Madsen (Editor) May 20, 2013 at 10:44 am
Thanks Blanca for posting. Again contact: medibeads@gmail.com if you want to hear more about gettingRead More a beading party hosted by Blanca Medina. Here's more on her on Patch: http://tarrytown.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/would-you-like-to-learn-how-to-do-this
Krista Madsen (Editor) May 18, 2013 at 02:50 pm
sounds like great stuff, thanks for posting!
Peter Neidell May 18, 2013 at 08:48 am
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE TO ABOVE: Sale is Sunday only- 10 am-3 pm thanks!
Heron May 20, 2013 at 06:28 pm
A big part of the problem is that the teachers' expectations about what supplies are necessary haveRead More become so extreme. When my kids were in school in Tarrytown, we would get a list at the beginning of every school year of the supplies we needed to buy. The parents were asked to buy a separate looseleaf binder for every single class our kids were taking and, for some classes, they asked for a looseleaf AND a spiral notebook. When I was in school, each kid had ONE looseleaf and we separated classes with dividers. Having SIX or seven loose leafs adds to backpack weight and costs a lot of money. My kids supply bills were often close to $100 apiece. The teachers have bought into this idea that all of these supplies are necessary and they are not. I'm not surprised that Staples is offering "rewards programs." Their advertising and marketing efforts have convinced the teachers that you must have a package of 12 red correcting pens, per child.
Sleepy Hollow Tarrytown Chamber May 14, 2013 at 04:25 pm
Congratulations to JoAnne Murray and Willaim Burnette the honorees. Your service and support of theRead More Salvation Army is applauded.