mrs. quimby

Tonight has not been easy. One of my friends from home called to tell me my favorite math teacher of all time passed away as the result of complications from a car accident last Tuesday.

I feel like I was just sitting here writing about losing people and once again... here I am feeling a deep sense of loss. I was upset when I heard about the car accident last week but I think I convinced myself Mrs. Quimby was such a strong woman that she would definitely recover. To hear she didn't make it just doesn't seem possible. I find peace knowing her husband Walt was waiting for her. I also find peace knowing she lived a life full of giving... full of life... a life that inspired so many others. She must hold the record for convincing the most high school students to enjoy AP Calculus.

Second semester of my sophomore year I met Mrs. Quimby for the first time to take Calculus. A few of my sophomore friends and I were thrown in with a bunch of seniors and we stayed afloat in large part because of Mrs. Quimby. Whether she was scribbling through a whole roll of overheads or dancing around with a new way to remember a formula, I was entertained. I was a big fan of one of her mantras... "if you can do 2, you can do 200!" During my junior year I saw Mrs. Quimby every day and looked forward to her exciting It's Academic field trips. I had no desire to be on the quiz show, but I loved a day out of school to go to the zoo or Christmas shopping. I spent another semester with Mrs. Quimby my senior year as some of us went on to brave AP Calc BC. It has to mean something if students are volunteering to battle more calculus. Somehow we thought we were cool because she instilled it in us... calculus is cool right?

I miss her tonight. I'm watching the video of my high school graduation just so I can catch a glimpse of her. My senior class voted on our favorite teachers and she was one of the top six to "win" a seat next to the stage to greet all of the graduates. She was loved by all. I might have to do some derivatives or integrals just to fall asleep. I miss her tonight.