IN JULY OF 1990 I traveled to Grouard, Alberta, to attend the Blended Sound-Sight Program of Learning course so highly recommended by my Canadian colleague at the small school in Montana where I was working at the time. I had no idea what to expect, but Mrs. Ingham was a surprise—to say the least. She gave the first lecture. Short and round with a smile as wide as the prairie she came from, Anna Gertrude Ingham was seventy-eight years young at the time, and packed more energy in her little finger than I have ever had in my whole body.
While the word “brilliant” would apply in a description of her teaching, it might be too limited in scope. Yes, she was profoundly intelligent. However, she possessed a greatness beyond knowledge, an “intangible” element—as she was always so fond of saying about what her program could teach children. She was one of those rare human beings who causes you to feel like a better person just by having been near her. Undoubtedly, her program was both ahead of its time and rooted in sound pedagogy and had the ability to transform both teachers and students. But even more than a method of teaching children to read and write, the culture of her classroom was one of profound respect and love.
Like the greatest teachers, she had a deep faith in people. When she beamed at us teachers, the unspoken part of the lecture was always, “You can do this! I know you can! You will be blessed! Your kids will be blessed! I believe in you, and together we will make this world a better place!”
Fourteen years later, IEW offered our first Writing Educator’s Symposium in Tacoma, Washington, and Mrs. Ingham, only ninety-two at the time, traveled from Saskatchewan to share her vision with us, as joyful, positive, and sharp as ever.
If we are fortunate, we may get to meet and learn from one or two truly great people in our lifetime. I had the great blessing of knowing Mrs. Anna Ingham, who left this world a much, much better place for having lived in it. Without her, there would have been no Blended Sound-Sight, no Structure and Style, no IEW. We all owe her our gratitude.
