Sharon Simpson

 I'm not a resident of the West End, but I've been here for 40 years as a special ed teacher. And I've never retired, but I've never left the community.  I've watched the children grow. I've seen them come back and talk about how there were wonderful times. there was a young man that wandered into my room one day.  he started talking to me, and he would come almost every day of school. And he got to know my students. He tried to teach me technology because we had all RadioShack computers then. But he would show me how to use his laptop. His Sony laptop is low, preppy. And he was at Bloom from the time till he graduated. And he always kept up with me. that young man is now the principle of Taft High School. He when I retired I asked him if you need help, you know call me and he did. And I ran. He cares so much about this building. He understood. He taught my students how to work the computers he will come in and this is in this you know, seventh grade he taught them he believed and I came to serve. And I stated you know every day but he said maybe we can restore Taft to those glory days. I love Taft, because I'm needed. And I don't know whether I'm needed or whether they need me, but I really think I need them more. I was it boom, 26 years. And when I walked in there, it was a zoo. And I cry. And I said, I can't do this. And that's why teachers. You got to keep pushing. And I decided I wouldn't leave. And I could write a book and be a best selling skills. But the best years life and I didn't think I would bring out this saying you wasn't always good. We've had tragedies, and everything, but I would have 96% attendance. we just did everything. And we were allowed to do what we could you know, and it wasn't always that we had the money or whatever. We were just innovative. I had a store called Bloomingdale's, and they had to they had to work. And I was xeroxing money and I'm like, oh my god, I go to jail. I see children a lot of times that didn't really have anything. Mothers that work two part time jobs. When I would call, they would come running. for the most part, I saw parents that really wanted their children to succeed. I saw kids that when they scored high on tests they were happy.  it was like Dickens, it was the best of times and the worst of times, I used to always say that I'm like, this is Dickens. But I'll say the best of times were the best of times.