TRIBUTE TO CYNTHIA PARKER

by

Lila Hochberg and Anne Rigby

 

"You have Mrs. Parker? She's so strict!"  The word was out.  First day jitters intensified as students entered Cynthia Parker's classroom. Mrs. Parker stood in front of them - a tall, conservatively dressed woman with a serious expression - all somewhat foreboding to a nine year old. 

Students soon learned that underneath that stern exterior and matter-of-fact approach to learning beat a very caring heart.  Little did those students also know that they were entering into a partnership with a gifted teacher, who for twenty some years turned her classroom into a memorable learning experience. 

Cynthia's philosophy was one of respect.  She respected her students and expected them to respect her and each other.  One never saw poor behavior in her classroom.  No one would dare! She trusted her students to do their best and found many ways to encourage them.  She helped them to develop self-confidence in their academic skills through her own brand of encouragement - matter-of-fact " you can certainly do it" approach.

But all was not hard work in Cynthia's room.  Fridays were special days in her room, and the envy of the other fourth grades.  After a hard morning work, the afternoon was turned over to stamp collecting and a junk food party.  Cynthia, herself a stamp collector, made use of her hobby to teach geography. Combining stamps with food was a strategic triumph.  A playful side to Cynthia was revealed in those happy Friday afternoons, but also in her enjoyment of the games and sports she shared with her students.

Cynthia's choice of a career in teaching was, in part, encouraged by an American University professor who had hired her as a curriculum research assistant.  But it was Cynthia's great respect and admiration for her widowed mother, who became an accomplished teacher at age 50, that was pivotal in Cynthia's decision to follow the same professional route.

In her first job as a 5th grade teacher at the Potomac School, the principal encouraged Cynthia "to develop her own style" - and that she did!  Her classroom style reflected qualities which grew out of a childhood where self sufficiency, self confidence and creative problem solving were necessary and valued, qualities which stood her in good stead through out her lifetime.

Cynthia's life in those early teaching years was not all work.  She had always loved sports, learning to play paddle tennis in 1929.  In Washington, she became an accomplished tennis player and continued to play regularly throughout her life.

In 1947, Cynthia married Bill Parker whom she met at a square dance.  The two began their family in Virginia, where they lived for eleven years with their three children.  Always active in community life, on one occasion, the Parkers were named Family of the Year by their neighborhood association.

The family's life changed in 1958 when Bill's job with USAID took them to Asia, where they lived in South Vietnam, Thailand, and Tokyo. In each place, Cynthia found work in education. In her written recollections, Cynthia writes about the challenges and joys of teaching in difficult situations.

One incident revealed her matter-of-fact approach to problem solving.  In 1958, while teaching 6th grade in Vietnam, she was assigned to a makeshift Quonset hut classroom. The heat pouring down on the metal roof made the hut less tolerable for students and teacher alike.  Cynthia's practical instincts created a solution for the heat problem, telling her students to wear bathing suits underneath their outer clothing which they could remove while inside the classroom.  Cynthia followed suit, without getting the principal's permission.  The children loved the plan.  But one day a mischievous student set a fire in the hut and the class had to exit quickly in their bathing suits.  Cynthia thought her days as a teacher might end at that moment, but instead heard the principal commend her for a creative heat survival maneuver.

In 1969, Cynthia returned to teaching and started her 24 years as a Sidwell Friends faculty member.  Here, she used all of her past experiences to develop a rich curriculum and a caring environment.  Cynthia had a clear cut view of how children learned.  She was not swayed by new theories or fads but knew what needed to be taught, and sought ways to make her methods work for each and every student.  She stripped away all that seemed superficial and stuck to the basics of a fourth grade curriculum.  Middle School was a leap and she wanted them to be ready for it.

 Cynthia's life was full during those Sidwell years.  She and Bill loved going to the theater and art museums.  She was a regular tennis player at the Edgemoor Club.  Summer always was a time for travel and spending time with her three children and their families. But there were also sorrows.  After a long illness, Cynthia's son died in the late '80's and in 1990, Bill died.  Cynthia wrote that her husband's death left her feeling diminished. She had lost so much, but she continued to teach.

Cynthia had taught for more than half a century and all of those years were good ones. But the legacy that stayed with her students was her belief in their ability to achieve, enabling them to believe in themselves. . "Of course, you can do it!"

 

           

Last revised 1/20/2006