On that brilliant first day of school in 1986, first-grade teacher Ms. Mary Lou Gallagher walked through the lower school corridors, up two flights of stairs, and past a couple of pods with a radiant smile on her face. She was just looking for her classroom, but what she discovered would transform her life as she knew it.
For the next 36 years, the boys of the lower school would constantly call out her name for teaching, inspiration, or simply to have a familiar friend. She lit the hallways with her ever-present kindness and enthusiasm, yet as her tenure comes to a close, memories of her time at Haverford flood back.
“I’ll never forget one time—this was probably 30-some years ago when I was teaching Kindergarten,” Ms. Gallagher said with a chuckle. “A little boy kept coming up to me, saying he had something to tell everyone. He finally said, ‘My mother is the tooth fairy!’ You just looked at their little faces, and they all believed it. He was just so full of joy. That’s my favorite story from Haverford—these little children, and then they grow up, and you just hope they keep that spirit in them.”
Her name soon filled the lower school as she dreamed up exciting art projects, curated new games to play, and converted her inviting play rug into the boys’ favorite playground.
“She could draw like nobody’s business,” lower school music teacher Ms. Valerie Case said. “When she designed her classrooms, she would create everything in the classroom just by drawing. We recently did a medieval presentation where she wrote a little play, wrote the script, and made all of the copies. She is just over-the-top creative.”
She was so devoted to Haverford that her own son followed her into the classroom as a teacher: Ms. Gallagher and a previous second-grade teacher, Mr. Connor Hullhorst, became the first parent and child to teach together.
Despite the pressure of having to raise her own children and being responsible for young students’ development during their critical transition into primary education, Ms. Gallagher has always felt embraced by Haverford.
“The support I’ve had from the parents all these years has always made me feel positive about what I’ve done,” Ms. Gallagher said. “There’s never been a time when I’ve had a bad day here—never. Things happen, but I always leave here feeling like I’ve had a great day.”
It is no surprise, then, that the boys who passed through her classroom never quite forgot her.
“Ms. Gallagher was an inspiring teacher to me and to countless other students,” Fifth Former Lukas Messick said. “She was an extremely nice person as well.”
“I just remember her being a really sweet person,” Fifth Former Christian Case said. “I thought she was awesome.”
Ms. Gallagher has not only impacted countless students’ experiences at Haverford but also those of the faculty.
“Mrs. Gallagher was my introduction to the Haverford School when I was her assistant,” Mrs. Thorburn said. “She’s a phenomenal teacher. During my first year, I felt totally prepared [when she left to raise her children] because she had prepared me so well. She’s so creative and so kind, and such a great teacher. She is my role model.”
“I want people to remember how much she loves and cares for the students, her boys.”
Dr. Pamela Greenblatt
As a cornerstone of the community, Ms. Gallagher’s presence has elevated the standard of excellence. Beyond her daytime hours in the classroom, she created and directed the Haverford Homework Start program, an after-school initiative designed to build foundational study habits in lower school students. Still, Ms. Gallagher points out that nearly nothing has stayed the same since her arrival.
“The brotherhood that has developed in all these years that I’ve seen has been remarkable,” Ms. Gallagher said. “Before, when I first started here, it wasn’t quite as warm and inviting to the outside community. It’s really developed, and it’s brought in so many great boys, and the diversity has changed, and it’s just a whole different place than it was all those years ago. I’m just fortunate to have a connection where you can actually teach [students] when they’re six years old and then see them all the way through to twelfth grade. You don’t have that at many schools.”
“This has been my life for all these years. And I can’t even imagine not being in a classroom.”
Ms. Mary Lou Gallagher
Ms. Gallagher specifically promotes a brand of optimism and encouragement in her classroom.
“I hope people remember Ms. Gallagher as someone who takes a plain classroom and turns the environment into such a warm, safe, and nurturing place where boys can take risks and not be afraid of mistakes, because she’ll always be there to pick them up—and always do so with a smile on her face,” Mrs. Thorburn said. “She has a passion for teaching that is rare.”
As Ms. Gallagher says her final goodbyes to Haverford, her reputation and echoes of her teachings will linger long after she departs.
“I want people to remember how much she loves and cares for the students, her boys,” Assistant Head of School for Academics Dr. Pamela Greenblatt said. “Ms. Gallagher is such a joyful presence in the lower school, and she brings such joy into some of the earliest years of a student’s educational experience. I think about all of the students that have passed through her classroom and what a phenomenal legacy she has, and the impact that she’s had on thousands of students at this point—how she cared, loved, and [taught students how to be] curious learners and good friends.”
However, it’s difficult to say goodbye to such a large portion of one’s life.
“It’s hard,” Ms. Gallagher said. “This has been my life for all these years. And I can’t even imagine not being in a classroom. Every year of my life, I’ve gone to school, even when I was a student. In September, you start school. So when September comes, it’s gonna be different. Really different.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.