So, this blog challenge category is, like, so last season! But I'm feeling a little guilty that my husband, who works full time and then some, has had time to blog on these topics and I have not! So, it'll be a short catch-up entry, but better than nuthin.
Oh, and I apologize to the educators mentioned here, because I can't find my School Days book to look up their names, so the only ones I remember by name will be the teachers from the latter years.
Kindergarten(Dixboro)- I walked to kindergarten at the local school. I walked with Brad and Roger, my two best friends, and my dog Beau, who chaperoned us down the road and through the field, and then left us at the school yard, repeating the procedure in reverse when it was time to go home. My kindergarten teacher was nice--she let us have blow-bubbles-in-your-milk day on Fridays, and I remember how excited I was when it was my turn to tap everyone to wake up after nap time. OK, that's not so much about her as it is about the environment she created.
Grade school (St. Thomas)--I remember liking my 4th grade teacher really well, she may have been the first teacher I had that wasn't a nun. Yep, I did Catholic school until the 6th grade. Maybe that's one reason I liked her--she was pretty, and you could see her hair.
Grade school (St. Joseph's)--we are now in Colorado (we were in Michigan until now, couldn't you tell?)--Sister Anne Lorraine was my 6th grade teacher, and she was also the principal. I remember her teaching us multiplication, and how it clicked with me! (Don't laugh, just because they start multiplication in 3rd grade now---this was the early 70's! And when I started junior high, I was moved into an 8th grade math class within the first few weeks, and I stayed a year ahead in math until my junior year, when Trigonometry and Analytical Geometry sent me scurrying to fill my schedules with something--ANYTHING-- else! That teacher was J. K. Rowlings' inspiration for Professor Binns, for one thing!) BUT I DIGRESS--anyway, besides times tables, the one other thing I remember about Sister Anne Lorraine (yes, you had to say the whole thing) was the way she handled an incident on the playground. Here's the story:
I was in line, probably after recess was over, and this kid Greg, who most likely had a crush on me, but I was oblivious, came up to me and asked if I wanted a "Hurtz Donut". I either said OK, or "What's a Hurtz Donut?" (I was, and still am, woefully naïve and gullible), and so he slugged me in the arm and said "Hurts, don't it!". WELL, unlucky for him, our teacher saw, and she SWOOPED (nuns are very good at swooping) in, grabbed him and yanked him away. But here's the kicker--later, when we were back in class and in small groups, she approached me and said, "What did you do to make him do that?" I answered "NOTHING!!" Wow! I was stunned that she would assume that I had done something to provoke that kind of attack. So, no, she wasn't a favorite teacher, but I can't deny that she left an impression!
Junior High (Orchard Mesa)--My favorite teachers at OM were Mrs. Johnson, the Drama teacher, and my Civics teacher, whose last name I will probably never recall because my best friend, Guido deBest, made a sign once and hung it on his classroom door that said "Uncle Larry's Fun House", so all I can remember is his first name was Larry. But he was young, enthusiastic (kinda cute), and he made studying Civics enjoyable! (Hence the sign!)
High School (Fruita Monument)--Mrs. Linda Cates, Radio and Television teacher (My group wrote, produced and performed our very own soap opera for the class Production assignment, it was a blast!); she recommended me for the job of announcing the band's halftime shows during football season, which was really cool! AND last but not least, Mr. Ken Dunder, our Student Senate sponsor. He was a big, round-bellied barrel of a man with a walrus mustache, and he was one of the best teachers I've ever had. He really cared about all of us, and he was very easy to talk to. I even babysat for his kids a couple of times (and I HATED babysitting!).
There they are, my entrants into the Cindy Gray Educator Hall of Fame. And apparently I lied at the beginning of this post, because it is NOT short! Bottom line (excuse me while I pull my soapbox over here), teachers are going to make an impression. It doesn't really matter if I don't remember their names, because I do remember my feelings--how I felt about their classes, and how they made me feel about myself. I was (and still am, to a slightly lesser degree), a kid who is more insecure and cautious on the inside than I ever let on on the outside, and so the good AND bad experiences linger. As an adult, I see a little better how the negative things can be rationalized away, and filed so that they aren't thought of much, but they're still there. And the good things my teachers said, taught and felt--those I try to keep in my short-term files, and I am very grateful to have many. Thank you for taking a chance on a smart, nerdy, friendly girl. She hopes that she is returning the favor by paying it forward in her job as a school librarian. The greatest reward I hope to have is not to have the students remember my name, but hopefully to be able to say "I loved going to library in my elementary school! The librarian was so fun, and she helped me learn to love books!" That's right up there with blowing bubbles in your milk on Fridays. Try it sometime!
