Teaching at Keokuk High School - day 2

 Tuesday, December 8, 2020

(Comment on the picture.  The academic wing had south-facing windows and a hallway behind the windows.  That was great in the winter, but it did get warm in the early fall or late spring!!!)

Continuing on my growth path through life.

During my first year at Keokuk High School, I got engaged to Connie.  We married in the summer of 1974, before starting my second year.  I had lived in a one-bedroom apartment but now with two of us, we bought a house.  The price of the house was $10,000!!!  (Try to find a shack for $10,000 now).  

I also got involved (imagine that).  An English teacher spotted me as a single man and asked if I wanted to be involved in Boy Scouts.  And, of course, I said sure.  I was an assistant Scoutmaster - but was the third person - behind the Scoutmaster, the first assistant then me.  The scoutmaster and the assistant had boys in the troop.  One of my first events with this group was to go on the Klondike Derby camping at the nearby Scout Camp.  I got a new warm sleeping bag (the forecast was for about 35 degrees).  

So, there I am - a tent with a cold rain - it wasn’t long before that cold rain got sopped up and I’m trying to sleep in a soaking wet mummy sleeping bag.  Yup - that was a long night, and spent most of the time in the nearby lodge by the fire.  In scouting, the first rank is “Tenderfoot” and I qualified for that rank!!  

As I was reflecting on my Keokuk teaching days - five years, a lot seems to be missing.  My first two years at West Grant are still in focus (50 years later).  From Facebook, I have 30 (or more) friends from West Grant - and no friends on Facebook from Keokuk.  Why is that?  What did I miss?  Did I not make friends?  Was I not active in that community?

But, there was growth in other areas of my life.  (Spiritual warning)

Connie came from one Christian religious background, and I came from another Christian religious background.  This was in the mid-1970s where denominations were more of a big deal (at least in my mind).  

So, how were we going to worship as a married couple?  In her tradition, or in my tradition?  I really came to the conclusion that worship and church attendance was just “part of my life” - but not “THE” main part of my life.  Sure, I have pins for perfect attendance at Sunday School for twelve years.  I memorized Bible verses and forgot them soon after the lesson that was needed.  The English teacher (from above) was one of those “Evangelical Christians” and started to give me books, pamphlets, and involved me in their home Bible Study.  Not only that (gasp), but he was even into some of that radical “Pentecostal/Charismatic” stuff - you know, like (double gasp) speaking in tongues!!!  (And, I followed his lead).  

In many respects that was great for me; and in a few aspects, I became judgmental.  While I didn’t quite go on the street corners with a sign “Do you know Jesus?” or “Have you been Saved”, I could have!!!

Well, that affected my relationship with Connie as I was all bubbly about faith now.  (Would she want or accept me?)  She had an uncle who was a Catholic priest and later a Bishop.  Connie’s father started to look at me with some questions - was this person going to marry my eldest daughter?  Was this going to cause a deep rift between her and the rest of her family?  Fortunately, her father talked it over with his brother, (the priest) who put in a good word for me (without knowing me) and we did continue our relationship and got married after my first year teaching at Keokuk.

The teaching year was a challenge.  I had quite a bit of ego - I had been a graduate student in mathematics, and the top of my class - and now my main teaching responsibilities were to teach general math and consumer math?  I had taught all the high school math classes - including pre-calculus at West Grant; I had mastered topology and real analysis (and more) in my graduate work - and I was teaching kids who never really learned their multiplication tables how to make sense of the things they didn’t learn.  

About, the real success of my math teaching was the forming of a relationship with one student.  He was from a good background, with successful parents, but academically not into math at all.  Somehow, once a week, we had lunch together.  (His mother packed extra cookies for me).  I started a lifetime of being a mentor.  One of the regrets of this relationship was after I left Keokuk, this student was killed in a traffic accident. If anything, I value those mentoring relationships more than teaching.  (I won’t mention other mentoring here - other than Joe F - whom I’m so proud of).

Good fortune did follow after that year, as one of the other math instructors left the school district and I got to teach algebra I and geometry for my remaining time at Keokuk high school!!!

And, somehow, I became a faculty sponsor for the Freshman class - so I got to be involved with different class activities.  This didn’t become too apparent until two years later as a Junior class faculty sponsor and we needed to raise money for the prom!!!  (The Juniors were in charge of raising and putting on the Senior Prom)!!

I grew up with parents that encouraged me to be ambitious.  So, yes, I got my college degree without debt; yes, I taught two great years at West Grant; and more yes, got a master’s degree without debt (maybe coming out ahead on the deal!!!)  

Oh well, more on my teaching and learning experiences tomorrow and Thursday!!!

LOVE WINS!!

HUGS!!

Karen