She taught special needs students at West Junior High for 19 years and has been playing Mah Jongg for about 16 years. Strnad remembers hearing her mother and her friends “calling out” the tile names when she was a child. Because she plays with her mother’s mah jongg set, Strnad feels a connection to the past and closeness with her late mother. She plays weekly with a group of friends and has taught the game to retired teachers as well as to Osher members. A modest lab fee of $15 is added to the course registration fee to cover materials.