Storyteller
b. 1941 · Retired schoolteacher · Portland, Oregon
Biography
Margaret taught elementary school for four decades, raising two children and tending a garden that still feeds half the block. She speaks with the steady cadence of someone who has explained hard things gently, many times. Her recordings linger on the small rituals—morning light, a shared lunch, the courage to start again after a mistake.
Recordings
Short excerpts from conversations with Margaret Chen. Full recordings will appear here as they are edited and archived.
Video coming soon
File will live at /videos/margaret-chen-clip-1.mp4
Margaret on earning a child’s trust—and learning to listen longer than she spoke.
Video coming soon
File will live at /videos/margaret-chen-clip-2.mp4
A short reflection on patience, September restarts, and beginners’ humility at any age.
From the recording
The best lessons never happened at the board. They happened when a child finally trusted you enough to say, 'I don't understand,' without shame. That trust took years to earn and seconds to lose. I learned to listen longer than I spoke.
People ask what I remember most. Not the curriculum. The notes tucked into my desk drawer: thank-yous from parents who had once been angry, drawings from children who could not yet write their names. Those are the archives that matter.
Wisdom
Patience is not waiting politely. It is staying present while someone becomes who they are meant to be—especially when it is inconvenient.
Every September I began again. Age does not excuse you from beginners' humility. Begin again with grace.