Thursday December 3rd, 2020 - Last Look (for a while) at West Grant teaching experience

 Thursday,  December 3rd, 2020

Finishing off looking at my first job.  I think there are insights to all of us about learning and growing.

TEACHING:

My second year went much better than the first - (but actually, the first year was quite successful in my eyes at least).  I LOVE TEACHING!!!!!

I did do a dumb thing (that would NOT be allowed today).  For some reason, I can’t remember the details, on an extremely cold, windy, snowy day a student in the freshman algebra class bet me that he could stand outside our classroom window for 30 minutes. And for some unknown reason, I took him up on that!!  (Today, I’d be fired in an instant!!)  He only made it for about 5 minutes.  It wasn’t a discipline problem, he was a good kid, but just a blip on the screen. (But stupid on my part)!!

I learned a lot about teaching.  I had a lot of theory about teaching classes in my Bachelor’s Degree, but this was reality.  I think I learned flexibility and relating to students in these years.

I ended up teaching high school for seven years (two at West Grant and five at Keokuk Iowa) and on the college level for 38 years!!!  I loved teaching!!!

*****

ATHLETICS:

The JV basketball team went 9 wins and 9 losses that season.  West Grant was not known as an athletic powerhouse so a 9 win/9 loss season was almost unheard of.  In baseball, they gave me an assistant baseball coach (the new physical education teacher - who was a much better coach than I was!!).  I finished the season and he took over as head coach the next year.

And, in baseball, we went on to the district playoffs.  In the last game, I started Kurt (our star pitcher) and we lost 5 to 4.  (The umpire, who I knew a little, came over between innings and said “Your boy just doesn’t have it today).  [Kurt, I am still so proud of you - star baseball player, even college player, part of the City of LaCrosse Wisconsin engineering department - you rock!!!]

LIVING IN RURAL WISCONSIN:

At my first parent-teacher conference, the Guthries mentioned that their daughter commuted to Prairie du Chien to work.  I say I would wave at her.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I didn’t know what she looked like or what color and make of car she drove.  So, as I commuted from Prairie du Chien to West Grant, I waved at ALL the cars until I figured out which car was hers.  But, by then ALL the cars I met were waving at me!!  Since then, I wave at cars that I meet.  (I get a higher percentage of ‘wave-backs’ on side streets and in the country!!)

During my first year, we had a winter snow day, and the school was closed and most of the roads were closed.  Being young and foolish, I decided to take a drive in the snowy wilderness.  It was dicey and I almost got stuck.  A highway patrolman stopped me and berated me for being out on the roads.  (I’m glad I didn’t get a ticket).

I loved the area.  In terms of geology, this was part of the leading edge of the Minnesota/Wisconsin glaciers from the ice ages (according to what I’ve been told).  The glaciers and runoff carved hills and valleys.  I loved taking nature walks and drives around the area.  I found such little one-way roads that were so interesting as they went from flatlands on the top of the hill and then wound their way down where streams had been created.  I have told myself that some long, super-hot summer in Texas, I’m going to that area, find a shack to rent and settle back with some hiking and get away from the Texas heat.  (Now, where is Ready Hollow Road again?) I want to find it when I come from the reunion next summer!!

In my first year, I lived alone.  That was very good.  I learned to cook, clean, and take care of things. (And, my apartment [second floor of an old house] only cost $75 a month!!).  But, of course, I was only making a gross annual salary of about $6,500!!!

I had made friends that first year, so the second year a teacher from the Prairie du Chien High School and I rented a small two-bedroom house that backed up to the Mississippi River.  The rent was $90 a month - but split in half was only $45 a month.  He was an interesting character - and still a great friend.  When the school board election came up for Prairie du Chien (not my school district), he suggested I run for the school board - which I did.  He said I was running on the “Peace and Nudity” party!! I did drop out of the election when a city policeman stopped me and asked if I was a resident (I still had Iowa license plates)!!  

That spring, the Mississippi River flooded - almost to our little house so we lived in a hotel for a couple of weeks.  When we returned, rats had moved into our basement crawl space.  John (my roommate) put out rat bait and then with a baseball bat annihilated the rats as they tried to escape!!

In those two years, I had paid off my car, saved a lot of money - enough money to go back to graduate school, and move on.  But, I had established myself as a reasonable teacher!!  And, I had learned to live on my own and with a roommate!!!

This coming summer (2021) is the 50th anniversary of the class of 1971.  I’ve been invited by that group to attend and celebrate with them.  And, I am SO looking forward to this reunion!!!  At 73, I’m slightly older than they are (about 68) - do you think that makes a difference? I don’t!!

*****

So, I went back to college, got my Master’s degree, got a girlfriend who became my wife of 46 years.  Eventually a doctorate and found that I loved teaching and living on the collegiate level.  

(And … transitioned to be a female.)

*****

Tomorrow - LOVE WINS Friday

Saturday - a new Saturday Story

Sunday - a new Sunday Funday!!!

*****

Love wins!!

Hugs!!

Karen