Before & After

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Tales From The Set

Letter From Debbie

Hi everybody;

Like all of us, school teachers come in many different packages. If you are lucky, there will be one particular teacher who leaves a distinctly positive mark on your life. I was hiding in Mrs. Biggs' bedroom the first time I met her, but I knew so much about this English teacher that her reaction came as no surprise.

I had just spent three days with her grade 11 class of boys. They had approached me months before about their very special English teacher. According to them, she was much loved for her enthusiasm and dedication to the world of English literature and drama. But she also had another passion, and that was fashion. According to the boys, her wardrobe was so immense that they had never seen her in the same outfit twice.

After much detective work, the school boys and Facelift team invaded her home while her beloved husband John, who was slightly terrified by the idea but game nonetheless, swept her away for a theater weekend out of town.

Left alone in a stranger's home is always weird, but trying to keep decorum with her class of kids was not an easy task. A couple of boys were assigned to assist each member of the Facelift team. Of course, carpentry was the most popular and sewing curtains, the least.

It was a wild and crazy weekend but, finally, we gathered in awe in Mrs. Biggs' bedroom and admired our hard work. In three days we had completely transformed a drab bedroom into a sultry sanctuary with a rich velvety wall finish, lush curtains, crisp white linens, and an exotic headboard. And that was just the bedroom.

The highlight of the Facelift was the closet. When we arrived, it had been crammed with clothes, stacks of shoes and accessories. We had knocked through a wall to enlarge the space, added double doors for easy access, and fitted the new closet with shelves, racks, and drawers. All the wood was painted the deepest plum and finished with brass fittings. Mrs. Biggs now had a beautifully appointed walk-in closet for her ever- expanding wardrobe.

Mrs. Biggs returned home to find a group of boys from her class sitting in her living room studying quietly. She was initially horror-struck to think that she had missed a home study group. John, who knew all about our exploits, steered her upstairs, where she got the shock of her life.

I am not sure Mrs. Biggs will ever get over the impact of seeing her new bedroom, or the fact that her beloved class of boys orchestrated and helped with this Facelift.

Debbie

Letter From Mrs. Biggs

Dear Debbie;

Let me start in reverse, with how I feel now. Every night, as we go to bed, John and I look around, sigh, and talk about how lucky we are to have our gorgeous new bedroom. We also just spent almost our whole holiday renovating, extending the new colors into the bathroom and redoing the floors and carpets in the rest of the house so that it can live up to your work.

Our bedroom and closet are both so lovely--I couldn't have dreamed them to be nicer, but what I loved even more were the human factors. Above all else, the involvement of my Grade 11 class meant the most to me. The fact that 14 of the boys were willing to give up part of a precious long weekend was overwhelmingly moving. The other human experience that awed me was dealing with the Facelift crew, every single person. How you managed my clothes alone is beyond me; almost everyone on your crew commented to me that they'd never seen such volumes of clothes. What can I say? It's my vice.

Since teachers are always looking for learning experiences, here are my two "Aha!" moments. After 32 years of teaching, I learned that 17 year old boys can indeed keep a secret, and after 25 years of marriage I learned that my loving, trustworthy husband can lie like a rug.

Thanks so much to all of you for a fabulous room and an even better experience.

Sincerely,
Kathi Biggs