Archives
February 2006
2/26/06
2/26/06
2/26/06
2/26/06
2/26/06
2/26/06
Early Years
Sunday, February 26, 2006
11:33:00 AM CST
A Memory Spoken
By Jay Cole Simser
For most of my 62 years, beginning when I was four years old, I have been associated with one kind of school or another. For the past 38 years I have been an elementary school educator. During those years I have learned a lot. (The teacher always learns more than the student). In addition I have had a lot of life experiences all of which have given me some insights. I hope you enjoy reading this.
Early Years
I grew up in Ames, Iowa and had a marvelous experience with my elementary teachers, Juanita Steele, Vivian Maybee, Marguerite Kirby, and Evelyn Carlson were dedicated professionals who saw to it that students learned.
Miss Steele was a fairly tall, prematurely white haired woman with a stern demeanor. My mother visited class one time and told me years later that she thought she was too strict. Nevertheless we loved her and would do anything for her. She taught me that the reason a man walks on the outside of the street is so that the lady would not get splashed by mud as the horse and buggy or car drove by. Of course I later learned that there was a different, far older, reason but I still like her version best.. She also made sure that I was well grounded in reading and began my love for reading.
The word to describe Miss Maybee was sweet. She was not as tall as Miss Steele but was a really nice person and a good teacher. We were doing activities and projects designed to give us life experiences and help us to learn long before the hands on method of learning was popular. In her classroom I remember that we brought in poles from the forest and made Indian (Native American now) teepees in the classroom.
Miss Kirby, fourth grade teacher, walked with a limp. I am not sure what the reason was but suspect that it had something to do with her hip. As she walked past me onetime I reached out and touched her hip. It was hard, not soft like skin would be. It had to have been a brace of some sort. I am not sure why I reached out to touch it, It could have been a dare or just natural curiosity. I am thankful that she did not notice. Miss Kirby read to us from the books of Marguerite Henry and I still love and read her books. She lived on a farm not far from Ames and a highlight of the year was a trip and picnic to her farm. Even though I lived on the Hog Cholera Research Station her farm was a wonderful experience for us.
Miss Carlson was the principal and was very strict and because I was an ornery kid I got to see her on several occasions. While she was strict you still knew, deep inside, that she liked you and wanted you to do your best. She also taught 1/2 days so we had her as a teacher as well as principal.
Years later when I joined the faculty of Ames Elementary Schools Miss Steele and Miss Carlson were both still teaching and both of them took me up to the Superintendent of Schools and introduced me as a former student. I don’t know what Mr. Hetzel thought but I was honored.
Written by jaycoles Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | 
digg this
11:33:00 AM CST
Early Years
A Memory Spoken
By Jay Cole Simser
For most of my 62 years, beginning when I was four years old, I have been associated with one kind of school or another. For the past 38 years I have been an elementary school educator. During those years I have learned a lot. (The teacher always learns more than the student). In addition I have had a lot of life experiences all of which have given me some insights. I hope you enjoy reading this.
Early Years
I grew up in Ames, Iowa and had a marvelous experience with my elementary teachers, Juanita Steele, Vivian Maybee, Marguerite Kirby, and Evelyn Carlson were dedicated professionals who saw to it that students learned.
Miss Steele was a fairly tall, prematurely white haired woman with a stern demeanor. My mother visited class one time and told me years later that she thought she was too strict. Nevertheless we loved her and would do anything for her. She taught me that the reason a man walks on the outside of the street is so that the lady would not get splashed by mud as the horse and buggy or car drove by. Of course I later learned that there was a different, far older, reason but I still like her version best.. She also made sure that I was well grounded in reading and began my love for reading.
The word to describe Miss Maybee was sweet. She was not as tall as Miss Steele but was a really nice person and a good teacher. We were doing activities and projects designed to give us life experiences and help us to learn long before the hands on method of learning was popular. In her classroom I remember that we brought in poles from the forest and made Indian (Native American now) teepees in the classroom.
Miss Kirby, fourth grade teacher, walked with a limp. I am not sure what the reason was but suspect that it had something to do with her hip. As she walked past me onetime I reached out and touched her hip. It was hard, not soft like skin would be. It had to have been a brace of some sort. I am not sure why I reached out to touch it, It could have been a dare or just natural curiosity. I am thankful that she did not notice. Miss Kirby read to us from the books of Marguerite Henry and I still love and read her books. She lived on a farm not far from Ames and a highlight of the year was a trip and picnic to her farm. Even though I lived on the Hog Cholera Research Station her farm was a wonderful experience for us.
Miss Carlson was the principal and was very strict and because I was an ornery kid I got to see her on several occasions. While she was strict you still knew, deep inside, that she liked you and wanted you to do your best. She also taught 1/2 days so we had her as a teacher as well as principal.
Years later when I joined the faculty of Ames Elementary Schools Miss Steele and Miss Carlson were both still teaching and both of them took me up to the Superintendent of Schools and introduced me as a former student. I don’t know what Mr. Hetzel thought but I was honored.
Written by jaycoles Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
2/26/06 10:40 PM