Virginia Wildman Pooler

Friends,

I don’t post on here too often anymore, although I know my mother’s memory is alive and well in your hearts. Twenty-four years later, she is still missed and loved dearly.

I was asked to write a piece about her recently for something forthcoming, and while I delayed my response for a bit, I jotted down these words this morning. - EPC

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My mother always said, "'Gin,' like in tonic" when people asked her name. To the students, she was Pooler. My mother was known for being straightforward, down-to-earth, and approachable. Don't mistake her seasonal wooden figural necklaces, skirts, pantyhose, and sensible Naturalizer heels for some sort of stuffed shirt schoolmarm. She was my mom at home, but she recognized that she mothered so many of her students at school too. She attracted the types of students that came to school to be loved, to be understood, who perhaps weren't receiving that attention at home. I can point to at least two students who were expelled from Whitney for disciplinary reasons, who were mentored by my mother, who helped them on their redemption journeys. Both of those two men are successful in their own right and have grown from that childhood setback. She didn't turn her back on her students, regardless of the maladaptive behaviors they may have demonstrated in other classrooms. My mother's high emotional quotient allowed her to connect with even the most difficult of students. As a result of all of this, even the most reluctant learner looked forward to her class and could make the connection between their lives and the life lessons she was infusing in her 8th-grade science lessons. My mother was creative in her application of science principles to real-life lessons for her students. Before the s*x education curriculum (a "fan favorite" where screams could be heard around the school during the infamous slide show of STDs gone wrong), she used to teach a lesson on etiquette and table manners. As she'd assert, "you're probably going to have to go on a nice date before you have s*x." She helped students make the connection between cooking and science experiments, stressing the importance of following directions in both recipes and the laboratory during quarterly cooking assignments in which students would have to prepare a dish and then have it reviewed by two other people. And who could forget the egg baby assignment? Probably not the janitorial staff, as they dealt with the aftermath of negligent "parents" around school. My mom had a way of bringing the curriculum alive, regarding her students with the respect and maturity that they craved as young teens and holding them accountable with a straight-shooting and sometimes sarcastic quip. My mother was universally respected and loved by the students and staff at Whitney. She was there when it opened in 1976, and in December of 2000, I remember her telling some well-wishing student visitors that she was going back to work soon. She passed away on February 19th, 2001. Her commitment to her students and Whitney High School was unmatched, save for her love for her children.