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| Clara Barton by: Umbricht |
Think of your school years and I'm sure the teachers who made an impact on you are the ones that pop in your mind first. I'd love to hear stories of those teachers that made a difference in your life or in your children's lives. You know I'm gonna tell you a few of mine.
Mrs. Kurtz, The Curt
Elementary teachers deserve " Blown Out Nerve But Still Kickin" awards. Dealing with 18 or more students with wiggles and pent-up energy for 6-8 hours a day and trying to pass important foundational knowledge that will be retained is a skill I marvel at. Mrs. Kurtz was my third and fourth grade English teacher. I laugh at her humor now but as a kid we just didn't get it at first. She was going to help us learn proper usage, grammar and manners come hell or high water. She wouldn't let anything slip by her, not even when we were asking to use the bathroom. Every day without fail a kid would raise their hand and ask, "Can I go to the bathroom?" and without fail she would respond, "I don't know, can you?" The kid would look bewildered and she would then tell them the correct way to ask, "MAY I go to the restroom?" After about a semester of correcting, the kids finally understood that proper usage of words makes the sentence change. I learned from Mrs. Kurtz, words and how you use them make a difference.
She also made her class fun by bringing in Ads from the local newspaper that had grammatical or spelling mistakes. If we could point them out we got extra credit. It was also a good lesson that even professionals and adults make mistakes.
Mr. Waco Einstein's Red Haired Twin
Mr. Waco was my third and fourth grade Math and Science teacher. He literally was the spitting image of Einstein but with flaming red hair instead of white. Since he was pegged "Einstein" by the kids, he told us the famous equation his likeness miraculously figured out; E=MC2. Not that we really understood the Special Theory of Relativity, but we felt awesome being exposed to it by someone that looked just like him. He made Science and Math fun and I remember him taking extra effort with me in Math. He was real; one time a kid pushed his buttons a little to far and he put the kid in his place; eyes were big and round that day but we still respected him and knew his class was a class for learning, not goofing around.
The Polyester Pant Suit Pedagogue
I went to Dennison For Junior High where Dr. Carlton, an ex- Navy Captain was the principal. The kids feared his military background and thought the campus would be run in tight-ship fashion, salutes and all. Dr. Carlton was a wonderful man who ran his school with efficiency and tight control but the kids learned they need not fear him; he conveyed friendliness but with a take action, no- mess around attitude. He certainly did something right because I remember most of my teachers from these years as wonderful ones. The one that made the most impression on me and I thank to this day for his teaching abilities is Mr. Mummert.
Mr. Mummert was a relic from the seventies; large lapelled shirts, thick suit jackets that matched bell-bottom pants and a tie so huge it should have been a clowns made him an easy target for distraction. Kids being able to pinpoint oddities like a K-9 dog sniffed out Mr. Mummert's fashion choice as a topic of relentless goading. I was guilty of recording his daily ensemble as a fashion report so those who were not in his class could see the outfit of choice and giggle at lunchtime.
Despite the shallowness of junior high minds, Mr. Mummert stuck to his guns and whipped his class into shape. He first taught us how to take proper notes from a lecture, pulling out important points for study through the A,B,C and 1,2,3 style. As the year progressed his passion for Social Studies and History started to outshine his hideous outfits. I started to put my portraiture aside and really listen as he made geographical places come alive when he taught the History behind the location on the map. He even got us so involved in wanting to learn he taught us a game called Diplomacy that takes weeks to play and involved strategy and an ongoing thought process from day to day. I remember wanting to impress him with my required end of year project, so I had my Dad help me display a wondrous re-enactment of The Battle of Midway, with small wooden Japanese and American Bombers strung with fishing wire in battle flight over the Carriers in the Pacific Ocean with a written report to explain the battle. He was very impressed and told me he was giving me a 'B+'. I asked why not an 'A'? He told me it was in every way an 'A' project but the fact I had my Dad help me when I was capable of doing it entirely on my own made the credit not totally mine. Mr. Mummert had my respect and I was happy to accept a B+ from him.
I think he may have learned a bit from the students too, at the end of the year he was sporting a nice pull over cardigan with kacky pants every now and then.
Mrs. Cheese, Economics and American History
Mrs. Cheese let her kids ask questions and discussed both sides of a topic. She also allowed for debate as we read items from the textbook.
She told me at the end of the year, "Chandra, you should really look into Political Science when you go to college." Of course I didn't take that route but I look back on her as a teacher that knew her students. I look back now and think I really should have taken her advice, I have always been passionate about what is going on in our country. She saw something in me before I even did.
Mr. Coons English
Mr. Coons helped me choose college courses I could take during the high school day at the local Community College. He even let me leave his English class early so I could make it to the college class on time.
I remember one assignment for his class was to choose a topic from any literary source and write your thoughts about it and back it up with facts. I chose the Bible. I wanted to write about the prophetic handwriting on the wall in Daniel 5. He wasn't a believer but he was gracious and read my assignment thoroughly and marked on the paper how it made him think about the truth of the Bible. I find it funny he also found a mistake of mine regarding the term 'mene, mene, tekel upharsin." I wrote something incorrect about it and he took the time to research it himself and showed me where I made the error. Instead of throwing this by the wayside because it was "Christian biased" in a public school curriculum, he let me do what I felt was important.
I also found out he had a hand in helping me receive a scholarship to the community college. It was a surprise to me as my name was called off at graduation for scholarship awards. He took the extra effort that he did not have to do.
Literature in College
I am racking my brain trying to remember this professors name, but I can remember her long, narrow face and pixy style haircut and her PASSION for her subject. She made the Iliad and the Odyssey come off the page at you as she explained the meaning and background and what a 'hero' meant in Greek culture. She was so inspiring in her understanding of the text that it made the actual reading enjoyable. It wasn't just some old book written by some old dude, she gave the piece context and the meaning came out loud and clear.
I have taken for granted many of the great teachers in the course of my life, I write this post in honor of them. They keep the institution of learning alive and something you want to retain and not just get through for credit and a piece of paper. I must mention that my parents and in-laws have been wonderful teachers too. The generation before you has much experience that we should glean and learn from. I am blessed that I have tutelage under some amazing people, it only makes me think in pure joy that God puts them in my life for enrichment and pleasure!
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward
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