Linda Medland

In the middle nineteen-seventies, Mrs. (Linda) Medland was a language arts teacher at Peet Junior High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Recognizing that I was a hurt and lonely girl, she offered me guidance and friendship so that I might survive beyond my pain. I was an incest victim, but Mrs. Medland never knew that -- she did, however, see that I needed even more than what the job description of teacher required and she gave it. I believe that it was her investment in me that allowed me to live through that time. Today, I have a graduate degree in Social Work and work as a therapist. I remember Mrs. Medland -- her spirit, her red hair, her admonishments to please stop biting my nails, and her generosity. She never knew how great a friend she was to me. Perhaps this brick inscribed in her honor will inspire others to tell their stories to their own teachers -- whomever they may be -- or to thank those who have already listened.

7/1/96