Reflections on Adrienne Cosel…
Adrienne is totally awesome. she helped my older brother austen and my older sister lauren in school for a couple years, so i always knew her friendly face. she doesn’t shy away from a challenge, like helping me finish my applications for schools a week or so before they were due. she also is very caring. i can’t imagine it’s easy for her to tutor one of our students, who speaks little english, but adrienne still does it, because she believes in helping people. i also love her dog phoebe. adrienne is tough and will push you, but she only does it because she knows there’s more you have to offer. she sees your potential and won’t accept any less.
-Mary Grace McNulty ‘11
I taught next door to Adrienne at the high school, and my students and my students and I were often tempted to join in her classes, which really upped the ante for vibrancy and entertainment value.
-Sheela Clary ‘87
Mrs. Cosel asked to talk to me in private a few days before my graduation. I was freaking out when she started speaking to me frankly about her final exam I’d finished just a few days ago – specifically one section in which we had to demonstrate, through use, as many poetic devices as possible. Her approach was calm but quite serious, something like “I need to ask you: did you borrow any of those phrases or words from another poem or song lyric or anything?”
“…No, no, I didn’t.”
“Because it was really good. I liked it. You understand why I need to ask?”
I did. Over a decade later, I feel I understand even more. Mrs. Cosel was fulfilling her duty as a teacher, demonstrating a severe appreciation for honesty and trust, all while making me feel pretty cool.
Mrs. Cosel represents the perfect balance of wisdom, cleverness, silliness, clarity, assertion, honesty, receptiveness and love for her students. I came to as much life-applicable, joy-producing understanding from having been in her classes as appreciation for grammar and poetic device. (and I like that stuff…)
-Tony Belanger ‘98
Adrienne just engendered respect among the students. She treated them like trustworthy, respectable people, so most of the time there were. I remember once, a film student of mine asked her to play a role in one scene of his movie. And she really wanted to do a good job. She was nervous to the point of it being endearing. She wanted to make sure her hair was right for the character, her voice, the inflection of the lines. She really took it seriously because she saw it as real creative work and not just some school project. That’s just who she is. I really enjoyed working with her.
-Jesse Howard
Adrienne was so much more than an awesome English teacher. The memories of her in the classroom ranged from analyzing works of literature from the Scarlett Letter and Uncle Tom’s Cabin to laying out the literary magazine in the later hours of the evening. Since the end of senior year, she’s been after me to call her Adrienne (I’m getting there see?) but there was one event that made that a whole lot easier. One of those evenings working down in the science lab on the lit mag, she accidentally erased the entire document and let out a loud emphatic f-bomb. I quickly undid her mistake but we both started to laugh and I realized that maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to call her Adrienne down the road. Another time, during creative poetry, I was writing words, but with no real meaningful imagery. She wrote on the top of the draft one word: “gimme.” She wouldn’t let me hide behind words – that would be a waste of language in her eyes. That is the type of mentor Adrienne was through her teaching each and every day. She saw her students as curious youngsters and did her best to provide them self-confidence or caution depending on their personality. She would create friendly competition through vocab buzzer games to encourage us to learn the words – I had a winner record of points I’m proud to say. One time during the “first day” back, we were all in the commons area discussing a summer reading book that I admit I wasn’t that interested in, plus it was a beautiful fall day out. A question was posed and awkward silence reigned, suddenly there was a distinct (almost violent) kick to the back leg of my chair. I turned around sharply and there was Adrienne giving me a pointed look: “you know you have something to contribute.” I did. The example she set, the expectations she had, and the certainty and faith she possessed for so many young people over the years exemplify why she is so deserving of this recognition. She changed my life and I know I’m not alone.
-Tarsi Dunlop 2S ‘05
Speech by Tarsi Dunlop
Good afternoon everyone,
I’m thrilled to be here today to introduce Adrienne Cosel, a gifted teacher, an extraordinary mentor and someone I’m honored to call a friend. I stand here as one of many students who fell under her incredible spell and whose life trajectory bears her indelible mark. Adrienne’s fiery personality and love of teaching transcended her classroom walls and leapt into the lives of countless students. Her vision for education went far beyond papers, quizzes and exams. It was never just about getting from the B plus to the A minus, but rather what you learned along the way.
The balance between instruction and inspiration can be a challenging one, but Adrienne was a tightrope walker of the highest caliber. English is hardly everyone’s favorite subject, but it is absolutely essential; Adrienne gave words a third dimension, brought ancient texts into a 21st century classroom and introduced some friendly competition when it came to learning new vocabulary. English is not solely about structuring a paper or learning to avoid common grammatical errors, it is also about communication, articulation and critical thinking. There is danger of hiding behind words or being verbose; Adrienne pushed students to grapple with the power of language beyond analyzing literary texts and marking up essay drafts. As a senior in her creative poetry workshop, her feedback on one of my poems had a single word: “gimme,” as in give me more. I was hiding behind words on the paper.
Her finely tuned instincts recognized shy souls and reluctant voices, and while she was always supportive in her encouragement, heaven help you if she thought you were holding back. Her persistence knows no bounds. Mary Grace, a former student, said of her: “Adrienne is tough and will push you, but she only does it because she knows there’s more you have to offer. She sees your potential and won’t accept any less.” I remember one time when Mrs. Cosel decided I wasn’t fulfilling my potential. The entire 2S student body gathered in the commons area on the first day back to discuss our all school summer reading book. It was difficult to focus, sitting there surrounded by windows looking out into the beautiful September day. Listening with half an ear, I admit to not making a genuine effort to comment and engage with the discussion. A question was posed, and then silence fell; suddenly there was a sharp distinctive kick to the back of my chair. I whipped around and Adrienne was sitting behind me giving me a distinct and pointed look, it seemed she did in fact think I had something to contribute.
Adrienne kept her classes varied and dynamic, you never knew quite what to expect. Maybe you were watching one of her documentaries from a previous career or discussing Biblical themes with a modern twist, and perhaps she was cancelling a vocab test at the last minute in favor of a spontaneous trip for ice cream. Sean never quite figured that one out. Sheela Clary, a former colleague, taught next door to Adrienne at the high-school and said that she and her students were often tempted to join in, which really upped the ante for vibrancy and entertainment value.
Adrienne was an expert moderator when it came to classroom discussions. She legitimized self-expression, complete with student uncertainties and insecurities. Students who struggled to formulate questions or articulate confusion found genuine patience and compassion in her classroom. She encouraged students to speak to each other and not depend on her to lead a conversation; she was not above staying quiet and letting the awkward silence hang. Discussions are not at their most effective when they push students towards cookie-cutter responses; they are at their most valuable as a learning tool through which students can make connections, realize associations, and draw their own individual conclusions about great works of literature.
I know that I am not alone in saying that Adrienne was a powerful force in my educational growth and development. Not only did she ask difficult questions and provide constructive feedback, she even entered some of my better products in a few writing competitions – including the Breadloaf Young Writers Conference that introduced me to my future college. She knew I’d never dream of doing that on my own. I’ve realized, largely thanks to my classes with Adrienne, that a great teacher is someone who makes learning a joy, and someone who challenges students to achieve that which they think they cannot do.
Adrienne went out of her way to recognize students for their good work, but she was honest in her criticism. When she said something was good, students knew they could trust her. Earning a “you-go girl” or a “bingo-land” really meant something. Tony Belanger remembers a time when Mrs. Cosel talked with him to double check on the authenticity of a phrase in his final exam: “Her approach was calm but quite serious, something like “I need to ask you: did you borrow any of those phrases or words from another poem or song lyric or anything?”
“…No, no, I didn’t.”
“Because it was really good. I liked it. You understand why I need to ask?”
I did. [Tony recounts] Over a decade later, I feel I understand even more. Mrs. Cosel was fulfilling her duty as a teacher, demonstrating a severe appreciation for honesty and trust, all while making me feel pretty cool. Mrs. Cosel represents the perfect balance of wisdom, cleverness, silliness, clarity, assertion, honesty, receptiveness and love for her students.”
Last Christmas, Adrienne and I met up for coffee for the first time in years – in fact it’s been a decade since 9th grade English come this September (that’s a bit frightening). She later wrote me an email and said: “I hardly recognized you as the same girl I met ten years ago.” Adrienne was instrumental in that growth because her guidance and never faltering faith pushed me to new heights and accomplishments in these interim years. As we parted ways that day, I realized that the greatest gift she gave to me personally, and continues to give, is the gift of friendship. She is a person whose love of teaching is an extension of who she is as a person; it was not a profession but a calling – one that she continues to live and fulfill each and every day.
Without further ado, please join me in welcoming Adrienne Cosel -