THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2024 - TEACHING 1

 THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2024, NATIONAL TEACHER WEEK

Tuesday was National Teacher Day - but it is in National Teacher Week.

I knew in eighth grade I wanted to be a teacher - particularly a math teacher.  I had Frank McCloud as my Math Teacher at Roosevelt Junior High School that year.  It wasn’t so much as Mr. McCloud was so fantastic - he must have been teaching junior high math for a million years.  Thinking back, junior high/middle school teachers have to put up with kids going through puberty and all the hormone changes.  High School and College Teachers get the praise, but there in the trenches are those who like teaching junior high/middle school.  I can only remember three junior high teachers.  Lyman Colton, Lucille Anthony, and Frank McCloud.  I must have had others for English, Social Studies, Science, and the other classes.  Why do only three stick out?  

Lynn Schwandt was my Geometry teacher at Jefferson High School and a great encourager. (I did write to him some years later to thank him.) My senior English teacher had me write a daily essay and meet with him every morning. (I was a lousy writer, but I think I’m better these days!!!)

In college, Dr. Augusta Nelson was my Freshman Composition Teacher (and gave me two of my three “C” grades).  I was still a lousy writer - but I needed to keep writing.  Dr. Art Vandewater was one of my math teachers who made a difference as well as Bill Emmons (also known as “Wild Bill” or DOM - we thought that was “Doctor of Mathematics,” but he said it was for “Dirty Old Man”- humor is great)

My American history teacher was great.  I worked hard in American History 1 and 2 (and got ‘A”).  By the time I took American History 3 from her, I didn’t work nearly as hard - but I still got an “A”.  I can picture her grading my papers - “Oh, that’s from Bruce - he’s a great student - I know that he knows the material - give him the “A”).

Another History teacher was a great example of the “typical college professor.”  He wore the same tie every day; by the semester's endgetting worn about the edges.  He blew his nose into his handkerchief and then looked at it - to see if he had a cold.  In his office were boxes of books.  I took a class “French Revolution and Napolean” as an independent study from him, and when going to his office for some help, he pulled out Russian and French books on the topic - and then he asked if I could read Russian or French (the answer was no), he pulled out English books for me.  

There is an “aura” about good teachers.  They seem to sense more than other teachers.  I’ve used the illustration of having antennae, like ants or bees.  They seem to feel what needs to be taught.  

Some teachers that ability - but they have become disillusioned over time.  I was in a seventh-grade English class when I substitute taught three years ago.  You could just tell that the teacher was hanging on by a thread.  I guess she was nearing retirement age - and had put up with all kinds of student behavior over the years.  “If I can just hang on for two more years, I can retire.” My heart went out to her.  Her lessons were suitable.  She did an assignment on Grimm Brothers stories where the students were to change the ending.  I did the three little pigs and in the end the pigs and the “big, bad wolf” became friends.  The class was 70% males (not that seventh-grade males are any better or worse than seventh-grade females). She was too tired of fighting the good fight to discipline the boys.  “Sit down, Johnny” was about all she would say.  (And, Johnny would be up and walking around the room again in three minutes).  

I taught high school for seven years and college for thirty-eight years.  In general I loved teaching. 

In college I didn’t love grading- but I liked when students had the “aha” moment.  They got it.  

A friend used his right hand up in the air as if screwing in a light bulb- the “aha” moment to him was when the light went on.  

Another friend stomped his foot when he hit a concept that was important and would be on the test.  

I had crazy puns, raised and lowered my voice, and wandered around the classroom. I wore a Halloween costume and wore my academic gown for “Academic Apparel Day” (April First - April Fool's day).

I learned all my student’s names.  At the University of Texas, I had seventy students in a class that took a few days.  Fortunately, rosters had pictures over the years so that I could line up names with their pictures.  

[Aside from this, the pictures were usually from freshman IDs.  Poor Matt P had one of the worst ID pictures, and (although I loved Matt as a great student and fellow pep band player) I picked on him for his picture.  Sorry Matt - I was so wrong!]

*****

Many college professors don’t know much about teaching.  They went through their own university experiences and got a doctorate - but had trouble teaching.  (That was why White, Farrell, Molstad, Larsen, and others were so great at Dakota State - we were teachers first).

Another aside.  Growing up, I was very naive about many things.  I remember (probably in junior high school) when some athlete was going to be paid a million dollars to play baseball.  And I lamented that he could do more for society as a teacher or civic leader than just hitting a baseball and running bases.  I learned that good athletics make 10 to 40 times as much as a good teacher!!!.  It wasn’t a great success on my part to see that CW made 3 million in his first year out of the University of Texas - as a football player!!!  I do wonder if some days he might think “Gee, that computer instructor did help motivate me to use the computer more!!!”

More tomorrow!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen Anne White, © May 9, 2024