Jane and Ted Clark, my mom and dad, were the world’s best teachers. My parents encouraged me to pursue the career that brought them such joy. I became a teacher because of them and I married one, too. Our daughters are also now educators, carrying on the family tradition.
My mom offered this timeless wisdom: “We will always need good teachers and you’re one of them. Always love kids more than you love your subject and you’ll find joy in it.” I loved seeing her pride in the students she taught.
I badly wanted to be like my mom. Like her, I made excellent decisions as a young person, choosing a career and a spouse by the age of 20. I wanted to live the way she did, by modeling the values one needs as a teacher: believing the best about people, having a love of learning, forgiveness, equality, commitment, independence and easy laughter.
I’m still learning from her example.
– Heather Lott, director, Dane County New Teacher Project, and BRAVA 2025 Woman to Watch
Read more from our May/June 2025 feature on mother-daughter bonds here.
