Memories From Mrs. Mac

Mrs. Mac fondly recalls her years of teaching, saying that she met some of the most talented, friendly, and interesting girls from around the world. “Working at Grier and interacting with so many different cultures and ideas had a huge impact on my own evolution as a person,” she says, “and I’ll be forever grateful for the experience.” Mrs. Mac still stays in contact with many former students via Facebook and she even unofficially “adopted” one of her former Korean students, Jeong Hee Lee, who comes to visit her every few years. Some of the highlights of Mrs. Mac’s teaching years include organizing special events like the Jonas Brothers concert and coordinating several “special weeks” when the daily curriculum was replaced with hands-on activities and outings to explore various topics like ecology or powerful women. “Organizing trips to New York City as well as poetry coffee shops in my classroom were also great fun,” she says.

Since departing Grier, Mrs. McIntyre has co-authored her first book (released March 2018 by Macmillan), titled Falling with Wings – A Mother’s Story, which details the emotional journey of a mom of three struggling with an eating disorder and addictions, while trying to help her family cope with their own challenges. The book’s subject, Dianna De La Garza, is also the mother of multiplatinum recording artist and actress Demi Lovato, so fans of Lovato will enjoy glimpses into her formative years as they learn about De La Garza’s strength to overcome difficult periods in her life.

Falling with Wings, says Mrs. McIntyre, is a book about the importance of maintaining one’s mental and emotional health and the consequences of failing to do so. “Mental health,” says Mrs. McIntyre, “is not specific to certain careers or cultures – it’s a human issue that far too many people avoid discussing.” Teenagers, girls in particular, will relate to many of Dianna’s struggles, such as her efforts to create the perfect life, which in her mind meant looking perfect and dealing with body image issues that led to anorexia. Dianna also rebelled against her parents’ strict rules, which resulted in her leaving home at seventeen and pursuing a career in country music. Believing that no one would respect or like her if her life wasn’t perfect, Dianna never talked about all the mistakes and hardships she endured, which included an abusive marriage, addictions to drugs and alcohol, anxiousness and depression, as well as poverty and lack of medical care. As the secrets of her life multiplied, so did the fractures in her emotional and mental stability. Unwittingly, by not dealing with her own wellbeing, Dianna passed many of her unhealthy tendencies onto her children. Healing only began when each member of the family was brave enough to admit that she needed help.

“As the co-writer, or ghostwriter, for this book,’ says Mrs. McIntyre, “I encouraged Dianna to use her story as a platform to address the challenges we all face in maintaining emotional health and a positive self-image. We would both like to see the book become a springboard for discussions about all aspects of mental health as well as possible ways we can support one another in the challenges we face.”

 

Although Mrs. McIntyre is no longer teaching at Grier, her legacy remains. It’s great to learn what our Grier family, past and present, are doing. We wish Mrs. McIntyre the best. You can find her book on Amazon and you can visit her web page.

Connect with more former teachers and Grier alumnae.

 

Follow us on Facebook for more news and photos!