Jennifer. J. Chow

Once Upon A Teacher

Once Upon A Teacher

Once upon a time there was a sixth grader named Jennifer who adored her teacher, Mrs. Okada. In class, Jennifer would learn all sorts of things, but her favorite subject was English. She got introduced to and crafted sonnets, haikus, and tankas. Fun bonus: Mrs. Okada, throughout the year, would invite small groups of students into her home, where they got to make—and eat—customized personal pizzas.

One day, Mrs. Okada challenged the students to write a short story, any kind. Jennifer, having already been introduced to Agatha Christie novels by her mom, decided to pen a mystery. Okay, so she rushed the ending of the case of the missing jewels. Nevertheless, she still achieved an “A” on the assignment.

That small accolade subconsciously propelled her into a writing career decades later. On author panels, Jennifer would sometimes talk about her inspirations, including her teacher. Then at the end of 2024, Jennifer finally decided to do something proactive about it.

She sifted through her elementary school’s yearbook, double-checking the full name of her teacher and went searching online. In a fortunate turn of events, Mrs. Okada was tagged in a Facebook post about an alumni event that happened at Jennifer’s old school. Jennifer messaged her teacher, uncertain if she would receive a reply.

One happy day, Mrs. Okada responded. While she didn’t usually check her social media, she just happened to open it up—and came across Jennifer’s message. She remembered Jennifer and was delighted at the success of her past student. She said she would brag about Jennifer to her retired teacher colleagues. A few weeks later, Mrs. Okada also bought—and very much enjoyed—copies of Jennifer’s recent books.

The End

Have you ever reconnected with anyone? Share your fairytale in the comments.

23 thoughts on “Once Upon A Teacher”

  1. That’s such a beautiful and touching story, Jennifer!!

    While I am not crazy about social media, but I will give Facebook some credit to reconnect me with my aunt and hence my cousins whom I haven’t seen them for eons since they migrated to Australia. In fact, it’s my aunt who “found” me on Facebook.

    On the same token, a couple of my primary (elementary) and high school friend also found me via Facebook! And one of these friends asked if I still stay connected with our mutual friend Melissa. I looked for the only address that she gave me eons ago, and I tried my luck and sent her a Christmas to that address! And, surprise! She reconnected with me on social media!! – Emily

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  3. Aw, Jen, love this story! Cute pix, too. And I’m so glad you were able to connect with your amazing teacher. Hope she sees this post! I’ve thought a lot recently about the wonderful teachers I had in my life, and how lucky I was. (My mom was a teacher, too, though I never wanted to be in her class. Someone put a sign on her door once that said “The Mighty Quinn is In.” ) I wish all teachers knew what an influence they had on their students’ lives. I think most do, and that’s why they do it. It sure isn’t for the money or the glory (hope that changes soon!).

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  5. How I love this story, Jen! And what a beautiful ending to it!

    I, too, had many crushes/infatuations/admiration for various teachers through my years of school, college, and even law school. And one of my favorite writing stories is how I was able to dedicate one of my mysteries to several of my past music teachers, two of whom were still around to receive the book and see the dedication.

    Where would we be without our beloved teachers?

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  7. Jen, what a beautiful story! I once did something similar. When I was at Tulane, the chair of the dept was Lit and Crit, not performance-based. After I turned in an assignment, she told me I should be a writer and encouraged me to pursue the academic angle. I didn’t. I was hellbent on being a performer. Well, guess who became a writer? Dr. Baranger had left Tulane to run the Theatre program at Chapel Hill NC not long after I graduated. I somehow tracked her down on Facebook and told her I did indeed become a writer and thanked her for being the first person to encourage me. She was thrilled!

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  8. Jen, glad you were able to reconnect with your favorite teacher! And so thankful she nudged you along in your writing journey. I was a shy child, and a couple of teachers made a big difference in my journey! I hope that happens for every kid out there.

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  10. I had a 7th grade Teacher Mr. Simon and 8th grade Teacher Miss Clifford They both were great teachers. Then in College I took a class in History and loved it I did a paper on Alexander The Great and got an A. I was so excited I think that is when my love of History began. Now I read some Historical fiction I love reading about different time periods. Deborah

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  11. When I was in high school in Harlingen, Texas from 1962-1966, the assistant principal was Mr. Glen Cleckler. Luckily, I never got in trouble to be sent to his office (though many of my friends did and he was tough), but I knew him well as his wife was my Homemaking teacher. She helped me with my sewing and let me come over to her house for more lessons after I graduated. He and my father (postmaster at that time after managing theatres there for 36 years) were great friends also, so it would have been double trouble if I got sent there. Fast forward to 1972. I began teaching English at a junior high in Mercedes 15 miles from Harlingen. After three years, I got the job I wanted in Harlingen teaching English and Art at Vernon Junior high school (9th grade in the original old high school) under Mr. Cleckler as my principal. He was fabulous. I only taught there one year as my fiancée got transferred to Fort Worth, Texas and I followed the next year. Mr. Cleckler gave me a great recommendation saying that I “was a mean, lean teaching machine.” Because of him, I got a job there (they only hired 100 teachers that year of 1976). I hated leaving but love beckoned. Years later, we found out that Mr. Cleckler and his 4 best friends from Weslaco, Texas had been at the Battle of Iwo Jima and that one of his best friends, Harlan Block, was one of the men that raised the flag and died there. He never talked about it as most WWII veterans like my father did not. He was depicted in the book Flags of our Father by James Bradley. We corresponded and he made a difference in my life. Turns out he and his friends skipped school in Weslaco to go to a movie in Harlingen and just in case they needed an alibi, they went by a Marine Recruiter’s office and got some brochures. Sure, enough they had to use their alibi. The principal, whether he believed them or not, worked it out so they could graduate early and join the Marines.

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  12. By the by, I have bought and read every one of your books and loved them all and can’t wait for the next one to come out. I just bought Star-Crossed Egg Tarts.

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