Cookin’ and bookin’: English teachers, take heart. Who knows when a former student will come back and thank you in a grand way?
Barb Johnson, an 8th-grade language arts teacher at Hinsdale Middle School, knew she had formed a special bond with one student, Andy Ennis, when she taught him about 17 years ago. Half a dozen years ago, he stopped in to see her, and since then they have exchanged Christmas cards.
The real surprise came when Johnson, of Downers Grove, saw Ennis’ “Cooking for Cher” (he has been actress/singer Cher’s personal chef since 1989) in a bookstore. While in line to pay for it, she glanced to see if the Los Angeles chef mentioned his Midwest roots. “I found myself short of breath,” she said. “I was very surprised.”
In the book, Ennis thanks Johnson for “giving me the building blocks to write well; your continued encouragement motivated me throughout the writing of this book.”
“He’s done so well,” Johnson said, “and he’s worked very hard on this book.”