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Hearing I Was a Detective -- The Santiago Steps
Weekend Assignment #59: Teachers Worth Remembering
Here it is: The assignment pre-empted by Mother's Day:
Weekend Assignment #59: We've all had teachers who have made a difference in our lives. Tell us about one of yours. It can be a teacher from any level of education, from kindergarten to graduate school.
Extra Credit: Tell us your second favorite subject in schoool.
(For those new AIM Bloggers and AOL Journalers joining us for the first time, the idea for the Weekend Assignment is simple: I give you a subject to write about on your Journal or Blog, and then you write it up and come back here to leave a link so we can all visit and see what you written. It's a good way to get visitors, and to find new Journals and Blogs to read.)
I've written before about Larry McMillin, my high school teacher who had a big influence on my life. For this assignment, however, let me briefly chat about another teacher who meant quite a lot: Keith Johnson, who was my sixth grade teacher at Ben Lomond Elementary in Covina, California (there's a picture of it above, although I'll not when I went there, we were the Ben Lomond Rockets, not the Ben Lomond Bears. How times change!). Mr. Johnson was the sort of teacher who seemed utterly terrifying before you got in his class: I remember being in fourth and fifth grade and hearing about how tough and mean he was.
Well, it turns out he wasn't mean at all -- but, man, was he tough. If he thought you were slacking off or not living up to your abilities, you definitely heard about it. One of his trademark lines was "Boy, I'm telling you -- some people!" And then he'd tear into something silly someone in the class had done (not mentioning that kid by name, however). The idea was not to humiliate the kid, but to remind him or her that Mr. Johnson expected them to be better than that. And it worked; not in the least because when kids did things right, Mr. Johnson was equally forthcoming in sincere approval.
One of the things Mr. Johnson did every year was to have his class put on a musical; my year it was Oliver! (I played the Artful Dodger -- it was the role I was born to play!). However, he didn't take money from the school budget to present the play: He had the kids in the class start a business and make product (usually toys and other simple doodads) to sell and make money. We went through the whole process: We created a business plan, presented it to investors (our parents), sold stock, got a real business license with the city, made stuff, advertised it, so on and so forth. It was an interesting confluence of two difference disciplines: Building business sense in order to fund a creative effort. And it worked, too: We made a bundle of money, built sets and paid for costumes, and still had enough money left over to provide our investors with a dividend. Awesome.
On a personal note, Mr. Johnson was the first teacher I had to notice that I was good with words and who encouraged me in my writing; his approval and encouragement meant a lot to an 11-year-old kid. As a token of appreciation, I dedicated my first book to him (along with Mr. McMillin, and my dear friend Jackie Kahn). I regret to say that he was not among us to know it -- he passed away in the early 1990s. I was not the only former to attend his funeral; he meant a lot to a lot of people he had taught. A good man, worth remembering with thanks.
My second favorite subject in school: History. It's fascinating stuff. In fact, if I ever became a teacher, I think it's the subject I'd like to teach. I think it would be fun.
You're up: Tell us about those teachers that mattered. We know they're out there.
Update: My mom has posted a picture of the play I was in, in sixth grade. I'm the one on the right. The kid on the left is Rick White. Ah, memories...
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do ye know i havent one postitive happy memories about any of my teachers! thugs in uniform they were in the 50s wie a licence to beat us up physically ! i mean real man sized beating straight out of " raging bull" ! i played truant( scheming we called it! ) a lot even though when caught ( and i was! ) i would be for it big time! so i left school june 1959 aged 14 and never went back! so it warms the cockles o this auld irish heart that there so many fond memories out there of peoples teachers! oh dont worry i made out ok joined the ROYAL AIR FORCE got edumatcated and reached top o the tree in my trade ( caterering) and iam happily retired and a house hubby too!good teachers are so precious john m8 and i hope and pray that the state gies them more protection but thats another crock of furballs eh? lol great reading . ty
slan
frankie -
When I think of school I think of bright lights and football stadiums filled with fans, I think of choir tours and game days, I think of coaches and directors telling us to deliver because we may never get a second chance, I think of teers because of all the pain we suffered on the field, the sunburns, the broken bones, the dreams we left behind when the lights were turned off, the locker rooms, the frustration, the uncertainty, the trips to the hospital and all of the stupid questions that followed..."How did you lose that tooth?"..."Does everybody on your team jump on two hundred pound tackles?" How right they were. Those times never come again. Love it while you can.
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Elizabeth Hathaway. She was orgiginally from Boston I think and taught school for the US Government at Upper Heyford a US AirForce Base. I had her in 4th and 6th grade. She mad me feel cared for. I never understood the importance she had in my life until I was in my 30's and realized that she did know my home life was a mess and extremely dysfunctional. She was wonderful. She had two daughters Anne and Niara Jane. Thank God there was someone like her to let me know I was a person and worthy. God Bless her. I wish I had been able to maintain contact and let her know how much of a difference she made. Vcrozas@aol.com
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I haven't quite finished school but my most memorable teacher is, Mrs. Fitzgerald. She was one of the most dedicated and attentive teachers I have ever had. She taught me that school was the most important thing going on in my life. She also instructed the greatest classes and made sure that all her students had a basic understanding of everything(even stuff that didn't deal with school). She has had the greatest impact on me and Ithank her for being a first class teacher amongst a second class bunch.
Laja
6/3/05 4:10 AM
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