Fielder’s Choice - Barry Burleson


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Fielder’s Choice
By Barry Burleson

A tribute to Mrs. Mac

I sat on the couch, put my arms around my 10-year-old daughter and squeezed her tightly. Then I told her that her fourth grade teacher, who she loved so dearly, had passed away.

Her tears came quickly. I felt them dropping on my wrist.

“But Daddy,” Erin said. “She was just teaching my class last week. I don’t understand how this could happen.”

Mrs. Mac (Martha McAlexander) was doing what she loved through Thursday, April 26, in her classroom at Marshall Academy.

The next morning, she called in sick. It turned out to be very serious. She passed away just a few days later – Wednesday, May 2, at age 60.

“Life is fragile,” I told my fourth grader. “We are not guaranteed another second on this Earth. Heaven is for eternity. That’s why we strive to live our lives according to God’s word.

“You were so blessed to have Mrs. Mac as a teacher this year. She loved you very much. Her influence will live with you forever.”

Then I asked Erin to write down her feelings.

“Mrs. Mac was an awesome teacher. She was so much fun. We always played games to study for tests, which was the best part. Another great thing was that she could answer any math question you ever asked her.
“You know the song – Miss Mary Mack, right? Well, we used to say Mrs. Martha Mac and sing it to her all the time. She always used to smile and laugh when we started singing it.
“I loved talking to her. She had the best smile and could always make you laugh. She loved to sing and was always in a happy mood, except she could always make someone stand out for five minutes at recess. We could always hear her; she had such a loud voice. And she was a great listener when you had stories to tell. I loved her and she will always look over me and be with me in my heart.”

My son Andy is a senior at MA. Mrs. Mac taught him as a fourth grader. She was one of his favorites.

I also asked him to write down his thoughts.

“Mrs. Mac was a teacher who every child needs to have at some point in their life. She made learning fun but was never scared to show you her disciplinarian side as well. Between all of the times that she got on to me for talking too much and making me sit out at recess, she made learning fun.
“Everyone looked forward to the days we reviewed for science tests, because that meant we got to play ‘baseball.’ This is every former Marshall Academy fourth grader’s favorite game.
“Not only did we play fun games, but we learned some very valuable lessons. I gave my first ‘public’ speech to my class of fourth graders. It might have been just a biography on David Letterman, but I will never forget the nerves it took to stand in front of the class to tell them the ‘Top 10’ things not to do in Mrs. Mac’s class.
“I will forever be indebted to Mrs. Mac for teaching me more than just science, spelling and reading, but also for teaching me character traits and skills that I will need throughout my entire life. I hate that no more fourth graders will be able to experience learning from such an amazing woman. But it helps me to realize just how blessed I was to have Mrs. Mac as a school and life teacher at Marshall Academy.”

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