Ms. Powell- had her for 5th and 6th grade. She was awesome. Tough but awesome. I still think about her. And then Mr. Shepardson, my AP US History teacher. Great guy and great teacher! Favorite grade? Probably 8th.
Mrs. Elsie-sixth grade math teacher. She had an engineering degree but could only find work as a teacher. This was the 1960's.
Engineering's loss was education's gain. She taught algebra so well that I decided to study engineering myself, even though my verbal SAT's were higher.
I still use Mrs. Elsie's teaching technique's when I coach my own kids with their math.
*Techniques. English teachers didn't inspire me so much.
Then there was Mr. Fleuckinger, my AP chemistry teacher. He was a distinguished older gentleman with a touch of Tourette's. He was the source of some of my favorite, still-used jokes, such as: "Ammonia, ammonia, ammonia- get off, get off, get off!"
Mr. Fox grade seven teacher, he was right out of teacher's college and he had the coolest ideas, we got to listen to current hits as part of listening exercises - we have a big argument about one of the lines in America's song Horse with No Name. For Xmas we did the obligatory make up Xmas ornaments in art class and Mr. Fox was bringing in a tree the next day. We come in the next morning, before class started, and instead of bringing in an evergreen tree he had a dead tree branch set up and we decided instead of singing O Canada as one did at the start of the school, we sang O Tannenbaum and he was mad and said we were being narrow minded because many countries do not have evergreens but they celebrate Xmas and we all felt so bad. He let us do up scripts for a play that we taped complete with sound effects, [today we would have been doing video versions but hey, making the sound effects was fun] the parameters were a murder mystery. You wanted to go to school to see what he would come up with next. If only all teachers were like that.
Mr. Waller. Sixth grade. He made learning fun (which was a nice change from the butch betch I had the year before.) And because he was saving for a Trans Am at the start of the year (which we all thought was the coolest car EVAH) and saw the humor in it when we were all writing "WASHING ME" in the dust on the Trans Am at the end of the year.
Mr. Powell, 7th grade English. Loved the quarter we did grammar and punctuation. He was passionate and always smelled of cigarettes and mints, with chalk all over his pants.
Miss Cummings, third grade. She was pretty and young, with red hair in a short bouffant (very 1960s) and lots of freckles. I also have red hair, so I kind of identified with her.
I loved the music that she taught us, because instead of kids' songs, we sang songs that were on the radio at that time. I remember learning "Both Sides Now" and "Down on the Corner" (that one had a lot of words!)
Hey! I just looked him up and apparently he is still teaching and is a student favorite to this day...what a trip: http://www.ratemyteachers.com/don-lafraniere/210751-t/1
Herr Brockman, German teacher, all through high school. Awesome guy, easily distracted from teaching us actual German however, he instead used to regale us with amazing stories of living through WWII. Scary stuff, but he was a fantastic storyteller, and he taught us teens how much the German people were terrorized under the regime, and had amazing tales of how they fought back.
The day the wall came down, he just sat and cried tears of joy. I'll never forget it.
3rd-4th grade, Mrs. Gertrude B. Scott, a big woman who looked like she'd been raised on some farm. You had a chance to learn in her classes, because disruptive kids got stretched across their desks and got their butt paddled. This was back in the early 1960s, when corporal punishment was quite common in many if not most public schools. So-called "experts" now howl about how it destroys any chance for a kid to develop a "beneficial self-image," but we sure didn't have kids killing kids and/or teachers back in those days.
My daughter's homeroom teacher is my favorite. I had a huge crush on him when we were in high school. I found out much later he had a crush on me, too. Of course, he was already married by then. In any case, he has been a great homeroom teacher for my daughter and her freshman class. He has been funny and inspirational, and has been the kind of teacher I would have wanted when I was her age.
My favorite year was my junior year, because I got involved with the drama club and fell in love with acting. My senior year was good, too, because I spent half of it on an internship in a state senator's office.
Ms Hedigan in 6th Class,(Ireland)1990, my favorite teacher of all by far.She had a wicked sense of humor. She would be giving out to you one minute and laughing the next.Once I was taking her off behind her back and she went back to her desk and started mimicking me.She's in her 80's now and she still has that same glint in her eye when we meet.
Senior year in high school and sixth grade was great too
ReplyDeleteMs. Powell- had her for 5th and 6th grade. She was awesome. Tough but awesome. I still think about her. And then Mr. Shepardson, my AP US History teacher. Great guy and great teacher! Favorite grade? Probably 8th.
ReplyDeleteSenior year. Graduated a semester early.
ReplyDeleteAlso, nachos.
Frittata Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteBrother B - middle school - would eat beef jerky sticks during Mass. And no, that's not code for anything else. Kept snacks in his robe.
ReplyDeleteMr. Marlo, my high school journalism teacher, was the only great teacher I ever had. Other than that I hated school from start to finish.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Elsie-sixth grade math teacher. She had an engineering degree but could only find work as a teacher. This was the 1960's.
ReplyDeleteEngineering's loss was education's gain. She taught algebra so well that I decided to study engineering myself, even though my verbal SAT's were higher.
I still use Mrs. Elsie's teaching technique's when I coach my own kids with their math.
Mr. Belding. Great HS principal.
ReplyDeleteMore nachos.
*Techniques. English teachers didn't inspire me so much.
ReplyDeleteThen there was Mr. Fleuckinger, my AP chemistry teacher. He was a distinguished older gentleman with a touch of Tourette's. He was the source of some of my favorite, still-used jokes, such as:
"Ammonia, ammonia, ammonia- get off, get off, get off!"
and: "Knock knock. Who's there? Ether. Ether who? Ether bunny."
There are more. I'll show myself out...
Mr. Fox grade seven teacher, he was right out of teacher's college and he had the coolest ideas, we got to listen to current hits as part of listening exercises - we have a big argument about one of the lines in America's song Horse with No Name. For Xmas we did the obligatory make up Xmas ornaments in art class and Mr. Fox was bringing in a tree the next day. We come in the next morning, before class started, and instead of bringing in an evergreen tree he had a dead tree branch set up and we decided instead of singing O Canada as one did at the start of the school, we sang O Tannenbaum and he was mad and said we were being narrow minded because many countries do not have evergreens but they celebrate Xmas and we all felt so bad. He let us do up scripts for a play that we taped complete with sound effects, [today we would have been doing video versions but hey, making the sound effects was fun] the parameters were a murder mystery. You wanted to go to school to see what he would come up with next. If only all teachers were like that.
ReplyDeleteI hated school and most teachers hated me. Favorite grade was senior in high school, as I knew I was moving on to better things.
ReplyDeleteKindergarten. All had to do is color Nap and Drink Chocolate Milk. those were the days.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Farlow in First Grade.
ReplyDeleteHer husband was a paleontologist and would sometimes bring dinosaur bones in for us to look at.
Mr. Waller. Sixth grade. He made learning fun (which was a nice change from the butch betch I had the year before.) And because he was saving for a Trans Am at the start of the year (which we all thought was the coolest car EVAH) and saw the humor in it when we were all writing "WASHING ME" in the dust on the Trans Am at the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteMr. Powell, 7th grade English. Loved the quarter we did grammar and punctuation. He was passionate and always smelled of cigarettes and mints, with chalk all over his pants.
ReplyDeleteIris Goggins, Danville HiHigh School, Ky - Home Economics teacher.
ReplyDeleteBaked Potato bar!
ReplyDeleteMiss Cummings, third grade. She was pretty and young, with red hair in a short bouffant (very 1960s) and lots of freckles. I also have red hair, so I kind of identified with her.
ReplyDeleteI loved the music that she taught us, because instead of kids' songs, we sang songs that were on the radio at that time. I remember learning "Both Sides Now" and "Down on the Corner" (that one had a lot of words!)
Mr. LaFraniere
ReplyDeleteHistory
8th Grade circa 85'
Hey! I just looked him up and apparently he is still teaching and is a student favorite to this day...what a trip: http://www.ratemyteachers.com/don-lafraniere/210751-t/1
Herr Brockman, German teacher, all through high school. Awesome guy, easily distracted from teaching us actual German however, he instead used to regale us with amazing stories of living through WWII. Scary stuff, but he was a fantastic storyteller, and he taught us teens how much the German people were terrorized under the regime, and had amazing tales of how they fought back.
ReplyDeleteThe day the wall came down, he just sat and cried tears of joy. I'll never forget it.
Grade 5 was my best grade ever but Mr. Brennan my grade 10 French teacher was the best teacher I ever had. He was strict but a great teacher.
ReplyDelete3rd-4th grade, Mrs. Gertrude B. Scott, a big woman who looked like she'd been raised on some farm. You had a chance to learn in her classes, because disruptive kids got stretched across their desks and got their butt paddled. This was back in the early 1960s, when corporal punishment was quite common in many if not most public schools. So-called "experts" now howl about how it destroys any chance for a kid to develop a "beneficial self-image," but we sure didn't have kids killing kids and/or teachers back in those days.
ReplyDeleteEnglish teacher in grade 10. He always came down to the smokers Pitt with some green haaha. Also the drama teacher.
ReplyDeleteMr. Mauger 3rd grade and Mr. Fisher 6th grade math.
ReplyDeleteMr. Mauger 3rd grade and Mr. Fisher 6th grade math.
ReplyDeleteMy 8th grade English teacher, Mrs. Davis.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Mr. Etinger in the 6th grade. He encouraged my artistic side and was an all around cool guy.
Teachers really can change a scared and abused child's life. We should be paying them more than movie stars.
Um...me???
ReplyDeleteI hated school.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's homeroom teacher is my favorite. I had a huge crush on him when we were in high school. I found out much later he had a crush on me, too. Of course, he was already married by then.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, he has been a great homeroom teacher for my daughter and her freshman class. He has been funny and inspirational, and has been the kind of teacher I would have wanted when I was her age.
My favorite year was my junior year, because I got involved with the drama club and fell in love with acting. My senior year was good, too, because I spent half of it on an internship in a state senator's office.
I had lots of teachers and only one was really nice. Her name was Mrs. Parks and she taught first grade. She was soooooooooo pretty, too.
ReplyDeleteMs Hedigan in 6th Class,(Ireland)1990, my favorite teacher of all by far.She had a wicked sense of humor. She would be giving out to you one minute and laughing the next.Once I was taking her off behind her back and she went back to her desk and started mimicking me.She's in her 80's now and she still has that same glint in her eye when we meet.
ReplyDeleteDonald Solms, my high school physics teacher. He inspired me, and I still think about him often. RIP, Mr. Solms. You made a difference.
ReplyDelete