Made In CMS

Jane McIntyre Barghothi

East Mecklenburg High, Class of 1992

Margaret Claiborne was my 4th grade teacher at First Ward Elementary. Ms. Claiborne taught me a number of amazing things but three that stand out the most. She gave me my love for reading and really challenged me to read more difficult books, and I feel like by her doing this that the fundamentals of my reading skills really strengthened my 4th grade year.

And I still have a love of reading today. She also taught me how to take notes in a systematic and critical fashion when doing research and this sounds a little above a 4th grade level but I still use her notetaking skills today in my job and have been doing so for my entire career. 

And lastly, Ms. Claiborne created amazing out-of-classroom learning experiences for students. We were studying North Carolina history in the 4th grade and the entire class went to the Outer Banks and toured all of the North Carolina historical sites. And she ensured that every student was able to go regardless of if their family could afford to send them or not by galvanizing a small group of parents to fundraise so that all students had scholarship support to go on the trip. For many of my classmates, this was the first time they had seen the ocean and this trip, camping out on the Outer Banks and seeing those historical sites is still with me today. And I think back to that trip often. So Ms. Claiborne is absolutely the most impactful teacher I had in my twelve grades in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system.

And I was able to see Ms. Claiborne a few years ago and it was such a gift. When I saw her a few years ago, she actually had with her a book that I had made my 4th grade year. She had kept it all these years, and she gave it to me and that was very meaningful and special.

So Ms. Claiborne meant a lot to me and I think I meant a lot to her as did all of her students. She had an amazing career as a teacher and I feel very grateful and fortunate that I was able to spend my 4th grade year with her.

- Jane McIntyre Barghothi