She knew my older brothers. She knew my parents. And now she was meeting me. I was intimidated to say the least. She approached me my junior year when I got to North campus. I still remember walking past her desk one of the first days of school and hearing her saying, “I see you, you can’t avoid me!” I instantly thought, Shoot she’s on to m. What do I say? Well I ended up awkwardly giggling and kept walking.
Before I knew it, we were acquainted. And she acted so comfortable around me and yet she didn't even know me on a personal level. Yeah she knew my brothers, but we are nothing alike. Mike always got along with teachers, and Garrett was more standoffish because teachers were not his favorite. But somehow Mrs. Downing managed to even get him to be friends with her.
As time went by, I got familiar with her ways. Sarcasm was one of her fortes, which is why I think we clicked. Instantly, we were able to develop a relationship based off of joking back and forth and giving each other a hard time. She is a teacher who likes to break the student/ teacher boundaries and create a fun atmosphere in a structural manner. Her rules are rules and if one breaks them, they will get the wrath of Mrs. Downing. She must be strict because managing over 100 students and in a study hall setting isn't effortless. She must keep track of each student. She has to make sure they aren't skipping and that when they ask to leave study hall, they are going where they say they are.
During most study halls, she interacts with the kids and gets to know each and every one of them. Moving from table to table, and group to group, experiencing all types of personalities, she manages to get along with everyone.
She isn't just a study hall teacher, though. Mrs. Downing is also head of the foreign exchange program, again applying her natural ability to help kids get comfortable in the enormous Arrowhead setting. Meetings and activities are set up by her to create relationships between the Arrowhead students and the foreign ones.
Mrs. Downing is always interested in the students she interacts with. She looks past the school boundaries and tries to understand the students on a more personal level. If you’re having a bad day, you can always count on her to give you a compliment or make you laugh.
She is like bringing light to a dark room. Interacting with Mrs. Downing only leaves you feeling happy and with a sense that someone actually cares. She became friends with Mike. She became friends with Garrett. And now she was friends with me.