Sunday Funday - September 11, 2022
WE’VE HAD RAIN!!!!
And, it is a little cooler!!
(And, you know it is fall, pumpkin lattes and Halloween decorations are showing up around us!!)
I notice that at 7:00 a.m. it is still dark. Sunrise today was 7:10 and sunset at 7:46. In two weeks, it will be the fall equinox - the official start of fall (although I like September, October, and November as the fall months!!)
MEMORIES
I was thinking of my first real job this last week. All of us had our first real job. Maybe it was the job after college, the job of being an officer in the military, or the job after getting out of the military.
I had delivered newspapers in junior high school, worked in a warehouse in summers during college (I got paid $1.25 an hour - WOO) - but when I graduated I took my first real job as a high school math teacher.
This was in 1969 - prior to the internet, prior to email. My campus had a Placement Office and every week they duplicated a teaching jobs document and a non-teaching jobs document. I was a double major in math and social science but knew I wanted to be a math teacher.
I had enjoyed college and really hadn’t thought about a job. I was thinking I’d go on to graduate school right away but realized I didn’t have the money to do that, so in April 1969, I went into the placement office and opened my placement file.
The school districts sent in their open positions to the placement office (or to some academic clearinghouse), and likewise, the placement office sent listings of jobs to graduating students - and also sent out copies of students looking for school employment to school superintendents.
So, my information went to Mr. John Gehn, superintendent of West Grant Schools in Patch Grove, Wisconsin. (I didn’t send anything directly to Mr. Gehn).
A few days later, the placement office called me (by this time, all dorm rooms had telephones), and said that Mr. Gehn was interested in talking to me. Mr. Gehn had given the placement office some times he was available, the placement staff found a time I was available that matched one of his times, and they contacted Mr. Gehn with that time. He agreed, so the placement office set up a time for Mr. Gehn to call me at the Placement Office. (Note - while it may have been possible for Mr. Gehn to interview me using the phone in my room, the placement office would pay for any long distance charges and preferred students to do their interviewing from their office.)
I was very naive - I had absolutely no idea what I should expect for pay, what the job conditions might be like, the number of classes I would teach and the number of preparations I would have. I didn’t even know where the West Grant school district was!!!
Mr. Gehn called and we talked for maybe 20 minutes about teaching math. He then indicated that the previous person also was the junior varsity boys basketball coach and head baseball coach and that the desired candidate would need to do both of those things as well. Again, being naive, I said “Sure, I can coach basketball and baseball”. By the end of our conversation, I was offered the job starting at $6,250 plus $200 for assistant basketball coach and $300 for head baseball coach for a total of $6,750. That seemed okay. I said “Yes”.
I said “Yes”. (Talk about naivete!!!). What if it had been West Grant in Nome Alaska?
I hung up, told the placement office staff that I was taking the job. Let’s see, one application, one phone call, and one job!! Maybe an hour total involved in the process.
I asked the placement staff where West Grant was, they got out a map and showed me where it was - rural Wisconsin bounded on the north by the Wisconsin River, and the west by the Mississippi River and near Prairie du Chien.
That evening, I let my parents know that I was taking a high school math teaching position that also involved coaching basketball and baseball.
So, sight unseen, I had a job - someplace in rural Wisconsin.
*****
That summer I went back to my summer job at a warehouse. I took a personal day to drive to Patch Grove and look for apartments. Patch Grove had a sign on the highway as you entered town - population 208. (like two-hundred and eight people). The school district was a consolidated school of three towns, Bagley (population about 400) on the Mississippi River and Mount Hope (population of 175) to the east of Patch Grove. As the centrally located town, they had built a school where a county road intersected with the U.S. Highway 18. Not knowing how to find an apartment, I asked the secretaries at the school. They suggested using the Prairie du Chien newspaper to look. Prairie du Chien was north of the West Grant district and was the “big town” in the area with a population about 4,000 people (and also on the Mississippi River).
I went to Prairie du Chien and found the newspaper and subscripted to the bi-weekly paper. About two weeks later I found what sounded like a great furnished apartment - the whole second story of a house. It rented for $75. I called them up and again, sight unseen took the apartment. (I hope none of you reading this were ever so green and naive!!!)
*****
So, I had my first job, I had a place to live - time to get ready to teach.
Mentally I had about two hours of motivation and encouragement for my first day of class. I was going to give these students a grand picture of how hard work, diligent study, and keeping current was going to make the difference in this class and in their life. I was fired-up!!
In the day before computers, before PowerPoint, I was ready to give them knowledge!! My wonderful two hours of motivation ended up about 15 minutes long!!! (Ouch). I learned I had to be REALLY prepared!!! I was a little embarrassed to let them have 30 minutes of “talk among your friends” time on the first day of class!!! (That never happened again in my teaching career!!)
I was the one and only high school math teacher and I had seven 45 minute classes, one preparation period, and a study hall to monitor. In order to spread the high school math curriculum over four grades (ninth to twelfth), I taught two sections of beginning algebra, two sections of geometry, a section of advanced algebra, senior math (aka pre-calculus), and a section of consumer math.
Within two weeks I found a rhythm for teaching math in 45 minute intervals. First ten minutes I reviewed yesterday’s lesson, then twenty-five minutes doing the new lesson, and finally ten minutes for them to start their new lesson.
And I was introduced to a rural school. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a graduating class of 582 from my high school. The graduating class from West Grant was about 30.
In my first year, I had two students in my senior pre-calculus math class (Dana and Joe). I was only four years older than they were and they learned quickly that they could get me off topic. I tried to work math into different disciplines. One topic I remember was filling a rectangular swimming pool that had incoming water pipes and one draining pile that was open. We did all kinds of permutations on that one. (By-the-way, both Dana and Joe went on to college, Dana became an engineer, and I’m not sure what Joe did. Dana married Joe’s sister!!! I’ve learned this through being friends with Dana and Joe’s sister on Facebook!!!)
*****
Yes, I did coach. My junior varsity (freshman/sophomore) basketball team won 4 games (and lost 14) in my first year of teaching. But, the varsity squad (juniors and seniors) only won 2 games and lost 17 games. In my second year, the team won nine games and lost nine!!!
Spring baseball was difficult in rural Wisconsin as the field was still covered by snow when we started and then we had rainouts and cool weather. We went 4 and 6 my first year and then 7 and 3 the second year and just lost the district playoffs by a run in the last inning. I’m friends with the star pitcher (Kurt) on Facebook!!!)
*****
So, my first real job - my first experience in life. I learned a lot. I bought my sister’s red-orange Barracuda car and paid it off, I saved money for my graduate work, I learned enough to cook (this was prior to microwave ovens).
I was invited to the class of 1971s 50th year class reunion last year (and went). It was interesting to talk with my former students. (Some weren’t too sure that “Karen” White was the same as their former teacher!! But as everybody was fifty years older than the last time I had seen them, we had fun talking about our lives)
As they say, “the rest is history”. I went back to college, got a masters degree in mathematics, taught high school five more years then was blessed to teach as a college instructor/professor for 38 years.
Would I do it again? YES!!!!
*****
MOVING ON!!!
Grandparents Day September 11 — The Full History and How You Can Celebrate (nationaltoday.com)
Most of us have grandchildren - and grandparents day can be a great day to celebrate having grandchildren (or great grandchildren). I like the statement “If I knew grandchildren would be so much fun, I would have had them first!!!”.
Also on September 11th, - Patriot Day
National Day of Service and Remembrance (nationaltoday.com)
On that terrible day of September 11th, 2001, terrorists attacked our country. In some respects it changed everything. We have tighter security at airports and other places. You know I say “Love Wins” - and on that day, Hate tried to win (and did win for a while). I like to think of good and evil / love and hate like Star Wars - “Let the Force be with you” - don’t turn to the dark side - love one another!!!.
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE DAY - September 12, 2022 - National Today
Oh my, I needed a positive day to highlight - and having a chocolate milkshake is a positive thing in my life!!!! YUM!!!
(Unfortunately, I can let this go rampant. During my first months working at the senior facility, when I came home, my throat would be dry and I’d make myself a chocolate milkshake to soothe my throat - and maybe as a rare treat, but as an everyday routine, I found I was adding weight.)
INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY - September 13, 2022 - National Today
Hmm - right after National Chocolate Milkshake day is INTERNATIONAL Chocolate day. And, on the National Today calendar, this is also Milton Hershey’s birthday. I’ve stopped in Hershey Pennsylvania a few times and toured their showcase shop.
NATIONAL COLORING DAY - September 14, 2022 - National Today
I like to color and I have five coloring books and have gotten more coloring pages online. And, that wasn’t enough - I bought a pack of 64 colored pencils!! (I’ve made the statement, boys got the box of 8 or 16 crayons, girls got the box of 64 crayons!!! How many shades of blue can you name?
MAKE A HAT DAY - September 15, 2022 - National Today
Maybe this is a good day to make a hat as a craft project with my friend at the Wesleyan!! We’ve done hat day in the past (but with existing hats) - but maybe we can make some hats!!!
MAYFLOWER DAY - September 16, 2022 - National Today
It took 66 days for the Mayflower to sail from Plymouth England to Massachusetts. Some of us have been on cruises - but I’m not sure we’d like to spend 66 days on a cruise ship the size of the Mayflower!!!
TIME'S UP DAY - September 17, 2022 - National Today
This was new to me. Let’s see the description:
“Time’s Up Day is on September 17 and it’s all about being the bigger person. Apparently, it is awfully easy to drift apart with people over a little disagreement, especially people you enjoy having in your life. It usually starts small, a little disagreement turns into resentment and both parties are left with nothing to say to each other. If you know you’ve been waiting to make up with someone close to you, this is a reminder that it’s time to make amends.
Yes, it doesn’t take much to say “I’m sorry”, but it does take a lot to say “I’m sorry” and really mean it. I’ve irritated and separated from friends over the years. “Time’s Up” - go out and say I’m sorry, go ahead and reconcile with old friends and relatives.
If they don’t come around, that’s okay - you made the effort. Go with it!!!
WRAP-UP
September is an awesome time of year - get out and enjoy it!!
LOVE WINS!!
Karen White
September 7, 2022
