Honoring Ms. Dreier
A group of former students stand in a lot near retired teacher Debbie Dreier’s house. Photo courtesy Vanessa Poster
A group of Debbie Dreier’s students gathered outside her Redondo Beach home on Saturday to pay tribute to their former teacher.
Dreier, from the LA Unified School District, taught physical education and coached softball and basketball teams at Markham Middle School and Jordan High School in Watts. Dreier is currently in in-home hospice care, following cancer treatment.
“We came up with the idea to have a rally, to tell her we love her and how much we appreciate her as a mother, a mentor, and overall a wonderful person,” said former student Blanche Nelson, 52.
Dreier showed her students that, even in difficult circumstances, there were people who cared about them, and showed them they could get beyond their circumstances.
“She never had kids, but we were her kids,” Nelson said.