I just learned that my friend Bonnie Petras died in July. This is my tribute to her.

I first met Bonnie at my interview. I was looking for a teaching job in White County, and she was on the interview committee, which felt like more like an inquisition. I sat at the head of the table and every chair around it was filled with people. Teachers from each grade level, the principal, the assistant principal (Bonnie) and I don’t know who else. It was intimidating with questions being fired at me from every chair.

Bonnie made eye contact and set me at ease. Her questions were thoughtful, more than just what was on the list of questions on the page in front of her. She smiled and explained the reason they have a committee to do the interviews was so that the teachers had some input into who was on their team. Later, I would be sitting in one of those chairs doing the inquisitions, and I would try to set the candidates at ease just like Bonnie did for me.

Bonnie was very professional and I worked with her for many years, first as my assistant principal and curriculum director, then as my principal, then as my assistant principal, then as my instructional coach. She was an amazing woman who was fully in my corner from day one. When I found that the majority of our 4^th grade students were unable to read at grade level, I went and asked her if I could forgo the regular reading book. She asked me what my plan was, and I said, I’d like to teach them to read…go back and cover all the letter sounds, and phonetics they seem to be missing. She gave me permission immediately. As a co-teacher, I was able to go back to fill the gaps for kids as the other co-teacher went ahead on grade level. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

Later, when our superintendent changed the model for struggling readers, I went to Bonnie again, with a plan to reach more kids. She gave me the go ahead, but only after she told me her story. She had been a struggling reader as a kid. She didn’t read her first book until 6^th grade. Her mom had been told to find some technical skill for her daughter because she wasn’t college material and probably wouldn’t get through high school. Bonnie told me this story with tears in her eyes. The reason she championed my idea was because I had a passion to help the struggling readers. We bonded over our shared love for the overlooked kiddos.

We went to professional conferences together. We brainstormed how to help more kids get to grade level and beyond. She had a matter of fact way about her. She was direct. She wasn’t born in the South, so she didn’t tiptoe around people. However, she was gentle in her confrontations, making every effort to find higher ground. If there was drama, she called the responsible parties into a room together, and we hashed it out. Got to the bottom and decided how to best proceed forward. She didn’t let things simmer, she addressed them head on but with respect. She always tried to be fair when it was possible. She would call the staff together and say, the state says we have to do x,y, or z, by this date. How are we going to get there? She allowed us to come up with a way to get it done, whatever it was, and then she tweaked it if needed. We all felt included in the process instead of just being told what to do.

She was a wonderful leader. She didn’t get involved in the petty backbiting of a small town. She was thoughtful about whatever she required, even when it was going to be a hard pill to swallow. Whatever was added to teachers’ plates, she tried to take something off, and even when she couldn’t, she was sympathetic to their plight. She had the teachers’ backs regarding parent complaints. She always went directly to the teacher to find out what was going on, before deciding how to best handle a situation. I felt safe under her leadership. She showed respect for every teacher, even the quirky or difficult ones. She saw that everyone had something to offer.

Beyond her personnel skills, she also understood the budget. She could rub to nickels together and get a dollar. She found money for things teachers needed by squeezing every little bit of money out of the budget. She found grants. She understood how all the state and federal programs worked and how the cash flow went. She spent every dime allotted to the school and never left money on the table. I rarely heard her say, “We don’t have the money for that.” It was always “Let me see what I can find.” Next thing you know there was a purchase order in my box for whatever I had asked her for.

Outside of school, she loved her family; her boys, Chris, and the grandchildren as they came along. Caring for her mom was also a priority and they traveled the world together, until her mom reached 100 years old and couldn’t travel any longer. Still, at 104, they were spending time together whenever they could. Her mom was spunky and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

Bonnie was always going and doing. Never still for long. Her beloved sport, tennis, was something she did weekly forever. Her walking was continuous. We did the Susan G. Koman Three Day together, and she would walk ahead and then wait for the rest of us to catch up. As a cancer survivor, she was very aware of her fitness. She had watched her sister die young from cancer as well. She was intentionally active, for her wellbeing. She worked all through Chris’s cancer battle. I was amazed at how she held onto her professionalism at school while her home life was going through upheaval.

She was a champion for me as I navigated my cancer journey while I was still working. She arranged for me to work on curriculum matters in the office when my doctor wouldn’t allow me near children because of germs. Without her, I would have had to gone without pay, but she found things for me to do so I could remain on payroll. In all of her career, she never lost her love for educating kids. She retired, but then worked part time for the Mtn Ed. school system squeezing money out for them as the Title 1 Director.

When she sold the dream house Chris had built for her, it was so very difficult. But without him there she said, it was not the same. She moved and found love again, with Russell. Still active, still smiling. Still living life to the fullest. She always knew life could be short. Her experiences had taught her that from an early age. So, she cherished every moment and squeezed as much as she could into her lifetime. My heart is sad that she is gone. I fully expected her to live as long as her mom did, if not longer. I figured she would still be going strong at 110. Seriously, she was that full of life. She will be missed. I am grateful to have known her and been her friend.