Margaret Robertson was my second-grade teacher at the oldest South Salem Elementary School, a two-story, four-square building next to the Roanoke River, long since torn down. In my experience, she was one of the sweetest, kindest, most capable educators on the planet. She encouraged children with her smile, her intelligence and her gentle manner. I still recall her introducing us to the perils of spreading rumors by sitting all of us in a circle and having us play the game of "Gossip." We giggled at the end; but we also came to understand the larger message. She encouraged individual creativity and accomplishment. She will be missed.