By Craig Simpson, Dorchester, MA
I had gotten to know Ella Jenkins over many years of early education work and being part of the NAEYC. In my early years of teaching I went to a small day-long workshop with her in San Francisco. There were only about 10 people in the workshop in a daycare in downtown San Francisco. Ella immediately got us singing and joining in. I believe I was the only man attending. She didn’t let me hide in the group but brought me up to be in the circle. I of course was embarrassed but soon became a full participant.
Years later when I was the president of the Albuquerque affiliate of NAEYC, I heard she would be speaking at the New Mexico AEYC conference. I wrote her a letter (this was years before the internet) and asked if she would be willing to attend our local reception at the conference. I gave her my phone number at the day care where I was just a regular teacher. She called me at work and the secretary at the school came to my classroom and said there was a phone call from Ella Jenkins –”Craig, is that the Ella Jenkins? Why is she calling you?”
“Yes”, I said, “She is my old friend Ella”. The teachers were impressed since every teacher played her music in the classroom.
She came to our reception with Alice Honig, a toddler expert from Syracuse University, and we had an amazing reception for our small affiliate in Albuquerque. Our group had a surge of new members!
I would see her for years afterwards at NAEYC national conferences and she would always spend a little time with me chatting and catching up. She was always gracious and personalizable. I was indeed honored to know her.
Other posts this month about Ella:
- A Spontaneous Visit from Ella Jenkins
- In Loving Memory — Ella Jenkins
- A Song to Share — Wade in the Water
- Book Recommendations — December 2024 which reviews A Life of Song: The Story of Ella Jenkins
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