The Past
It was obvious from a very early age that I was intended to teach school. With threats and coercion, I would make my four younger siblings sit down at the kitchen table with Big Chief tablets and pencils. (Remember those Big Chiefs?? They were great!). I would proceed to have reading lessons, history lessons, and my favorite…geography lessons. We skipped math and science. I really wasn’t too interested in those subjects. There would be moans and groans and pleas to go outside or, at the very least, to the bathroom. But I ruled that class with an iron fist. Nobody went anywhere until we were through. At least that is what the little weasels would tell you. Seriously, though, I remember having an absolute thirst to learn—and I wasn’t the only one. My classmates in elementary school were well behaved and eager students. We sat in a classroom with no computers, no I-Pads, no audio-visual equipment and were eager to participate in the simple fun of spelling and math bees. I’m sure there were students who occasionally acted up, but in all truthfulness, they weren’t in my classes. The worst thing I can remember happening in elementary school was a classmate who laughed at a boy who stuttered. That infraction was dealt with speedily and privately.
The Present
I retired several years ago from teaching after almost thirty-five years in the classroom. I wish I was able to accurately portray a time-lapse picture of how the classroom has changed over those years. I did my student teaching in a fourth grade classroom. My supervising teacher whispered to me on my first day of class, “I am not going to tell you who the two troublemakers are. Observe the class for a week and tell me what you think.” After one week, I was finally able to spot the them. Two boys who were sitting in the row farthest away from the teacher's desk would whisper to each other. Yup, those were the troublemakers with a capital T! I smile now as I think of that. I spent the last several years of my teaching career in Christian schools. Lest one might think that discipline problems there were non-existent, I must certainly dispel that notion. Foul language, violent behavior, etc.—were definitely present. The remedies, however, were more in line with Biblical principles. I had a first grade student who hit another student in the face causing a nosebleed. He was not about to walk to the principal’s office with me so I had to carry him as he kicked and bit me. The principal told the parents that the child could not return to school unless the parents either disciplined him or agreed to sit with him in the classroom. Many parents whose children had problems in public school sent them to Christian schools in the hope that they could be helped. Unfortunately, the classroom is not a cure-all for what home fails to do. “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” (Proverbs 20:11). “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15).
Recipe
Faye’s Brownies
½ cup butter
2 – 1 oz squares of unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup of flour, sifted
½ teas. baking powder
½ teas. salt
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teas. vanilla extract
1cup of walnuts, coarsely chopped
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a double boiler. Cool. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Beat the eggs until light and add the sugar, then blend in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour, vanilla, and nuts. Mix well. Pour the batter into a greased 8” square pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
This recipe is from my great-aunt Faye. She was a lovely woman and a great cook. I don’t know where she got the recipe, but she didn’t mind sharing it.
It was obvious from a very early age that I was intended to teach school. With threats and coercion, I would make my four younger siblings sit down at the kitchen table with Big Chief tablets and pencils. (Remember those Big Chiefs?? They were great!). I would proceed to have reading lessons, history lessons, and my favorite…geography lessons. We skipped math and science. I really wasn’t too interested in those subjects. There would be moans and groans and pleas to go outside or, at the very least, to the bathroom. But I ruled that class with an iron fist. Nobody went anywhere until we were through. At least that is what the little weasels would tell you. Seriously, though, I remember having an absolute thirst to learn—and I wasn’t the only one. My classmates in elementary school were well behaved and eager students. We sat in a classroom with no computers, no I-Pads, no audio-visual equipment and were eager to participate in the simple fun of spelling and math bees. I’m sure there were students who occasionally acted up, but in all truthfulness, they weren’t in my classes. The worst thing I can remember happening in elementary school was a classmate who laughed at a boy who stuttered. That infraction was dealt with speedily and privately.
The Present
I retired several years ago from teaching after almost thirty-five years in the classroom. I wish I was able to accurately portray a time-lapse picture of how the classroom has changed over those years. I did my student teaching in a fourth grade classroom. My supervising teacher whispered to me on my first day of class, “I am not going to tell you who the two troublemakers are. Observe the class for a week and tell me what you think.” After one week, I was finally able to spot the them. Two boys who were sitting in the row farthest away from the teacher's desk would whisper to each other. Yup, those were the troublemakers with a capital T! I smile now as I think of that. I spent the last several years of my teaching career in Christian schools. Lest one might think that discipline problems there were non-existent, I must certainly dispel that notion. Foul language, violent behavior, etc.—were definitely present. The remedies, however, were more in line with Biblical principles. I had a first grade student who hit another student in the face causing a nosebleed. He was not about to walk to the principal’s office with me so I had to carry him as he kicked and bit me. The principal told the parents that the child could not return to school unless the parents either disciplined him or agreed to sit with him in the classroom. Many parents whose children had problems in public school sent them to Christian schools in the hope that they could be helped. Unfortunately, the classroom is not a cure-all for what home fails to do. “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” (Proverbs 20:11). “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15).
Recipe
Faye’s Brownies
½ cup butter
2 – 1 oz squares of unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup of flour, sifted
½ teas. baking powder
½ teas. salt
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 teas. vanilla extract
1cup of walnuts, coarsely chopped
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a double boiler. Cool. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Beat the eggs until light and add the sugar, then blend in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour, vanilla, and nuts. Mix well. Pour the batter into a greased 8” square pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
This recipe is from my great-aunt Faye. She was a lovely woman and a great cook. I don’t know where she got the recipe, but she didn’t mind sharing it.