The English Teacher

The English Teacher - The Character It Takes

Back in the day…

when I was in an “Alternative” High School…

I recall how difficult it was to keep the English Teacher position filled for the principal, Mrs. W.

I recall crazy Mz. Chandler being extremely awesome to me over writing a lot like what I do here on myspace for my required journal entries for class.

She was also VERY gracious to me and my gangster ways on several occasions…

Like the time she basically caught me red handed in the middle of class making an exchange… and rather than ruin what little change I actually had to graduate from High School, so instead let me realize how bad I just screwed up, and felt it “up in the air” as to whether or not I was going to end up expelled, suspended, arrest, or otherwise a royal fuck-up like most of my other classmates.

but…

that’s a whole different blog altogether.

This entry is about my experience with the difficult position to fill in an “Alternative High School“, full of “bad kids“. The position of:

The English Teacher

I remember how… “off” she was to begin with…  she actually had Nine Inch Nails stickers on the bumper of her car, and she was CONSTANTLY tweaked out… We never did figure out if she was actually on something or not, but she was never capable of handling ANYTHING calmly.  Especially not teaching her class…

but that’s why I liked her.

She went off to some place else, and we had a little bit of a hard time filling Sandler’s shoes…  we actually had Mr. Smith, the permanent substitute teacher… but for all subjects.  A rotating substitute teacher…

Anyway…

I remember very well the last woman that filled that spot before I graduated…

finally… Mrs. Z.

She was strong enough in character to draw her lines upfront, and she got to work early on letting people know the limits…

The punk ass thugs would talk trash and make threats during class…

No one saw them at school for the next few days after that…

Whatever she had that the others didn’t is best described by me as strength of character and confidence.  The kids in high school can be pretty scary…

especially this bunch.

She was able to establish a level of respect and continue in a professional manner at all times.  With these kids??  She was going to last awhile…

I recall how she appreciated me being in her class, and how much great critique she gave me on my writing…  She ended up being a great highlight to the end of my illustrious 5 years of High School…

As I was nearing the final stretch of getting my diploma, I began speaking a little more candidly with her about personal matters, she was someone who to this day I would still feel like she had been my friend for years… she was a very unique woman.

I can’t say I miss being in high school… but I do wonder how things went for some of the friends I’ve met along the way.  As it turns out, her husband was the City Commissioner, which made her that much more impressive to me..

She probably could have any teaching job she wanted with her husband being who he was and how much control he has over the budgets… yet she chose our school?  The “bad” kids that couldn’t hack “real” high school…

A very interesting woman indeed…

I wonder sometimes where they are today, and whether or not I am the only one that looks back at these good people as positive influences in a dark and troubled time that many of us needed help navigating.

Sometimes you meet characters in your life that you never forget…  perhaps it’s a position multiple people try to fill, or a single individual.  Either way, the experiences leave an imprint.  I’ll not forget how I came to where I am today, but things change as I learn to improve myself.

With fond memories of a time I’m glad is long over with, I’ll remember the English Teacher, and the character it takes to be a positive influence on the lives of others.

#381675520

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*