Retired teacher, former student reunite in classroom

By THERESA HOGUE
Gazette-Times reporter

"Anna Marie! My little girl!" exclaimed Lindy Burgess as she grabbed Anna Marie Gosser in her arms and held her tight.

The reunion between current second-grade teacher Gosser and her former first-grade teacher of several decades past was an exciting one, as the Mountain View Elementary School teacher and her mentor shared a hearty embrace.

Burgess, who retired from the Philomath School District in 2002, made a big impact on Gosser's life when she sat in Burgess' first-grade class. Now Burgess is a Master Gardener through OSU Extension, and teaches children in the area about plants and gardening.

"When I was in first grade, this was my teacher," Gosser announced to her second-grade students, who sat at their desks and wriggled with excitement. "This is just to show you that you too can become a teacher."

Gosser recalled a lot of exciting times in Burgess' class, from eating strawberry ice cream to viewing a collection of Raggedy Anne dolls to watching butterflies hatch from cocoons.

"Think of the special memories you will have," she told her class. "Today we are getting an extra, extra special person."

Burgess told the class that it was very difficult for her to stop teaching when she retired, but that her new work allowed her to come back into the classroom.

"I decided to become a Master Gardener and teach kids how to grow plants," she said.

Burgess recalled Gosser as a strong, happy student.

"She was a wonderful student. She loved to read and she loved to help," Burgess told the children. "I remember Miss Gosser… she could have gotten up and taught the class."

Gosser said her time in Burgess' class sometimes comes back to her when she's interacting with her young students. She still has a piece of artwork hanging in her parents' home of an illustration she did of a reindeer during class, when she was supposed to be doing something else. It helps her be patient when her students struggle to follow every rule.

"There are days when we don't feel like following directions," she admitted to her class, as they burst into laughter.

Gosser was happy to turn her classroom over to Burgess' capable hands, and the students watched as she showed them how to make new plants from cuttings, and taught them words like "tuber," and "propagation." Gosser sat at the back of class, smiling as Burgess captured the students' attention.

Back in 2002, Gosser attended Burgess' retirement party, and wrote up a memoir of her first-grade experience to give to Burgess. She was excited at the opportunity to welcome Burgess into her classroom.

"It's more of an honor" than an intimidating experience, she said. Gosser, the daughter of a high school teacher, has always been surrounded by educators, and now that she's teaching in Corvallis, she feels like she's come full circle.

"Look, I did it, and I'm back home," she said. "That's a special treat."

"She is doing incredibly well," Burgess said of her former pupil. "Teaching is a gift of the heart, and I can tell she has that. I could see it in her as a little girl."

She said Gosser's memoir made her cry with happiness when she received it.

"These are the blessings and joy of being a teacher," Burgess said. "Children are like flowers in the garden of life."