This is my post for #memoirmonday 37 prompt Write about a favorite teacher hosted by @ericvancewalton
My first and second-grade teacher was Mrs Terney, she taught two classes in one room. My older brother was a grade higher but we were in the same class. In the top picture, I am on the left in front of the boy with glasses. All through grade school, he sat next to me or behind me, he was the class clown but always picked on me. Even though Mrs Terney was a nice teacher, I can not say she was my favorite teacher.
My littlest brother had her as his first teacher and on his first day she left the classroom for a little bit, he took a piece of chalk and wrote ASS in big letters across the floor. I think it was the only word he knew how to write.
I am wearing the dress with the puffy sleeves, I do not remember this teacher but I am sure she was nice, but nothing stands out to me.
I am in the front row on the right between the two boys. Mrs Brock was not my favorite teacher either. The man in the back right was our principal Mr Pitman. I remember him telling the class clown if he could pass a test he would stand on his head on top of the teacher's desk. Gordon passed and Mr Pitman stood on his head, I remember his change falling out of his pockets.
My favorite teacher was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs Epperson. I wish I had a photo of my class, but I just noticed this was my older brother's class picture he was 2 years older than me, he is in the back row 3rd person from the principal
Mrs Epperson was an old white-haired lady with little curls and she was on the chubby side. She was very strict, and she did not put up with goofing off in her class, she was there to teach and you were there to learn, and if you did not listen to her teachings she had a wooden ruler that made you listen and she did not mind whacking your knuckles with if you acted out in her class. I can still see and almost hear the sound. She made the person to be whacked lay his hands on top of his desk with his fingers a little bent and she would give him a solid whack from the ruler, yes it was always a boy. Luckily I never had this done to me but the boy who always sat behind me and his sidekick, had it done several times.
She doesn't sound like she would be a favorite but what she did made up for her being so strict. Every day after lunch she would read a chapter, two if we were good, from the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series of books. She had a way of reading that kept us wanting more. Even the class clown listened quietly to her every word.
My 6th grade teacher Mr Brock was just mean. Not to me but if you acted out he would have you stand on your toes and draw a circle on the blackboard where your nose would be and you had to stand on your toes with your nose in that circle. One boy stood like that for so long that he collapsed.
7th grade we went to a private Christian school, they could not get 7th grade books, they had 9th grade books so that is what I was taught from.
8th grade we had a tutor who came to the inlet to teach us, we had an old Airstream trailer for our school. I had the same 9th grade books, plus teachers' editions. I am standing next to the teacher. He showed me and the sister next to me more than any man is to show young girls. He never touched us, he had a white pair of pants that was slit down one pocket and when he stood next to one of us at our desks, we would be eyeball to you know what. I have never understood why we did not tell our Dad what he was doing. HE WAS MY WORSE TEACHER!!!!
9th grade I had the same books, I am back in public school, but I still have the teacher's editions which had all of the answers in them.
My Dad made me quit school after I finished the 9th grade, he said a woman does not need an education, she needs to stay at home. After I moved from his home, I went back to school to get my GED. The teacher I had for this was the best teacher that I have had, she was a good teacher for only teaching. She knew how to teach me where I could understand, I had several light bulb moments in her class, maybe I was to learn these things in 7th and 8th grade, I went from 6th grade to 9th grade so when she taught me 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'. And then she said, remember there is an exception to every rule, except for the long 'a' sound like in neighbor. Before her saying that to me I was always misspelling I and E words, now I remember her saying and no more misspelled words, now I have spell check that changes words when I meant what I typed. Sorry, I got on a little rant there.
photos are mine if not stated otherwise
