When I began teaching sixth-grade science six years ago, I struggled as most first year teachers do. I was looking to survive that year, not find a husband. I was reduced to tears nearly every day by doubts that I was reaching any of my students. Seeing my distress, the seventh-grade teacher in the next room started to visit me at the end of each day, listening to my tales woe and despair. When he found me crying, he would try to brighten my day by singing and dancing around my classroom to the accompaniment of his stereo, selecting songs calculated to raise my spirits. Even if the songs didn't raise them, his exuberance did.

John worked steadily to encourage me through that first semester, until one day when I realized that our relationship was more than a friendship. I knew that even if I crashed and burned as a first year teacher, I had found a soulmate. Together we have shared the time since then working, studying, playing, planning, arguing and disagreeing. We have learned to love and cherish each other's uniqueness.

This past summer, when we were at the beach, John 'found' an interesting 'prize' in his box of Fisher's popcorn. What he showed me was not a typical Cracker Jack prize, but a beautiful engagement ring. Our time had come, and we both knew it. We are now busy with wedding planning, two teachers trying to fit their dreams for a memorable wedding into a reasonable budget.