For the most part, my school memories are very positive ones. I enjoyed school and got along with classmates regardless if they were nerds, jocks, or stuck-ups. I was involved in extra-curricular activities and aimed to get good grades. The only class I really disliked was phys. ed. I am by far not athletic. I trip over my own two feet, I shut my eyes when a ball comes my way and I’m banned from golfing at the local golf course! However, I kept a good attitude in class. It didn’t take long for the PE teacher to catch on to my klutziness and to have me be the score keeper, the assistant or any other task to keep me from hurting myself or others. I managed to keep As or Bs in phys. ed.!
Most of my teachers were very good teachers. They actually seemed to enjoy teaching and made learning fun. A couple of teachers had strange classroom pets and I can’t remember anything about their teaching styles! Mr. Snyder had a snake and insisted that we watch the snake swallow mice. I believe it was his goal to make us afraid for life! Then there was Mr. Johnson and his pet tarantula. He never understood why none of us would take the spider home over the break and care for it. When the spider eventually died, Mr. J. took three bereavement days!!!
Years later when I became a teacher, I played it smart and decided to have goldfish in the classroom. I taught high school special education at the time. We went through a lot of fish…it seems like each student thought he/she needed to feed the fish. When I caught onto that, the fish food was hidden. I never realized how often the water needed to be changed. Pouring out the old water, I’d discover chewed bubble gum, pennies, pen caps and even an eraser once.
The fish tank was moved to a high shelf of a built-in book case. It stopped the students from putting in foreign objects. However, rather than dipping some of the water out of the tank when we needed to change the water, my teacher assistant was sure she could lift the tank. Umm…she was able to lift it, but after a second or two, she lost her grip and the water began to pour down the front of her. After spilling half of the tank, she got a better handle on the tank and took it to the sink. Meanwhile, students were running and shrieking as they rescued the goldfish that slid out with the water. All but one fish was accounted for. Within seconds we knew where the last fish was…the teacher assistant was screaming and jumping up and down…guess she wasn’t used to having a fish inside of her shirt!!!
How about you? What do you remember from your school days?
 |
|
 |
Although some of my teachers were decent, I remember that they couldn’t wait for breaks–think they were smokin’ in the teachers lounge!