Valentine's Day interview with Jane

How Valentine´s Day Is Special For My Teacher

By Alberto Nájera

        

Valentine´s Day?  This day is celebrated on February 14 in the United States, and it is a custom to give gifts including roses, poems, or chocolates as a sign of affection, appreciation, or respect for the person we love. A romantic dinner is also a good choice when it is used to express our thoughts and to say how much we love each other. 

What is different about Valentine´s Day today than in the past?  How do some teachers celebrate from English Language Center of Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk?  To know more about this, I invited teacher Jane Hirsch, a woman  from Alabama with 35 years of marriage and who has two twin daughters. She has 23 years of teaching English at ODU and knows a little of other languages like Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

When asked, do you celebrate Valentine´s Day?  In a firm voice she replied “of course it is a special day and it is a romantic day for me.  Adding too, that Valentine´s Day is every day too.  She remembered when she was younger receiving gifts and to this day continues to receive them, but different ones such as a cards or an invitation to dinner. Today it is more common for a nice gift card.

 

Professor Jane in her office at Dragas Hall in English Language Center at Old Dominion University.

She adds that this day as a young bride, Valentine´s Day was a little different in that it was not as commercial as we see today with gifts and predominantly red decor in the stores since January.  February 14 was more romantic, special, and full of feelings and expression of details.  This is a day not only for the couples, but also for friends and family.

What special memories do you remember about today?  When asked, Professor Jane replied, “yes, I remember when one of my daughters was in school and prepared a heart on Valentine´s Day and brought it home to me as a gift.  That was special to me.”

For Professor Jane, this is one day to be happy and for following some of the traditions. She receives cards form her husband and daughter and celebrated this day with a special dinner. So continues the celebration of Valentine´s Day with expressions of emotions waiting to be repeated every day of the year and not just on one special day.  Professor Jane hopes that expressing these feelings of love for our spouse, friends, or family can be 365 days of the year, or in the case of Leap Year, like 2012, then 366 days of the year.