In the sixth grade my English teacher was Ms. Coleman. She was one of my favorite teachers that year. Ms. Coleman was animated, creative and funny. Parenthetically, she is also the teacher who, when doling out punishment, would have the miscreant write the following sentence, "Self-discipline is the epitome of a good student." I do not ever remember hearing the word epitome before that time, and thought for several months that the word was pronounced with the last syllable rhyming with home. Well, Ms. Coleman had us memorize a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. This was my first real exposure to one of America's greatest, and most well-known writers. As another aside, you may not know that this year marks Poe's 200th birthday. (Happy Birthday, Edgar!) Now, when discussing Poe, most people are directed to The Raven, but Ms. Coleman had us focus our attention on the lesser known, Annabel Lee. It is the story of lost love. I can still hear Ms. Coleman reciting it. "It was many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the sea..." "My darling, my darling..." Many years have passed since sixth grade and I can still recite Annabel Lee. I do not think the recitation of this poem will matter much eternally, but what I do know is that the small things Ms. Coleman said and did that year still matter to me all these years later. Thanks, Ms. Coleman. And thanks, Mr. Poe.