Day 27, Jan.27: Teacher's Pet

My Favorite
All-Time Teachers
Throughout grade school, I was a teacher's pet. Good kid, solid student and able to pull the wool over my teachers' eyes (since I also was mischievious). By junior high, some of my teachers figured me out and, in high school, it was hit-and-miss. College was an unfortunate blur - not because I partied all of the time, though I did my share. I just wasn't mature or outgoing enough to fit in. My senior year in high school was my pinnacle. Sad, huh?
1. Mr Lawrence, 10th-12th (Also a coach, I had him in a few classes. History of the West was my favorite. When he wasn't telling us stories about Tecumseh, he was telling us about his high school friend Killer.)
2. Mrs. Schue, 5th grade (The only teacher to ever address me by "James," her strict, no-nonsense approach helped me grow up just enough to handle the next level.)
3. Mr. Donatell, 7th grade (Short, powerful and intimidating - he had one wooden leg - this algebra teacher was unforgettable. His weapon of discipline was a wooden paddle with holes drilled in it.)
4. Mrs. Grefsheim, 3rd grade (She made reading wonderful by reading to us every day. I especially remember the Pippi Longstocking books.)
5. Mr. Fortney, 10th-12th (I took journalism and Philosophy of Religion from him. I became a newspaper man and learned that it was OK to question the Bible and still maintain your faith.)
6. Mr. Stokes, 9th grade (A science teacher, he also was tough but very fair. One of the few teachers I remember showing a soft side of himself in front of the students.)
7. Mr. Cahee, 7th-9th (A macho gym teacher and former football coach, he was also our chum. An unfortunate episode after we had moved on to high school caused us all to view him differently.)
8. Mr. Goedel, 11th grade (He taught geometry and was one of those unfortunate teachers we took advantage of (but it was fun!) I later dated his daughter for a while.
9. Mrs. Rollie (1st grade - really!) I have fond memories of learning to read and do math. I also remember the day we learned that John F. Kennedy had been shot.
10. Name forgotten (junior in college) I said college was a blur! This man taugh Criminology. I learned to look at both sides of every issue from this professor after he one day brought in a stack of books that said capital punishment was not a deterrent and the next day a stack that said it was.