Whaddaya MEAN You've Never Heard of Me?!?

thefridayfive

1. Who was your favorite teacher? and 2. Why was that teacher so special?

Without a doubt, it was Patricia Adams Lent, who taught my AG middle school English classes from 6th-8th grade. She recognized that I was a socially awkward oddball stuck in my own head, and she was so very, very kind to me when I had no real friends. She was a rigorous instructor, she helped form/improve my writing/editing skills, but also was a very much a teacher of critical thinking. Outside of that, she led drama activities, a literary magazine, and even enjoined me for bike rides in the countryside outside of class. On my middle school graduation, she made me an actual walking stick (made from an apple tree, carved and cured and polished and with my name and the dates carved in it).

3. Do you think teachers get paid enough? Well, having very close family as teachers I must say I am pretty well-acquainted with the responsibilities and the paycheck, and no, it is not nearly enough, not for the extra work and activities that are required, not for the enormous disrespect and wringers that they are put through by students and parents and administrations and political pontificators. There's so much less freedom in teaching than there used to be, which seems such a disservice to all involved.

4. Do you have a favorite year of school? Not really. School was mostly miserable for me, I connected more with the adults than the other students, with a few exceptions, so I mostly focused on the work. I did enjoy the last two years as I was starting to finally feel more comfortable with myself, but given that I cocked everything up right after high school, I don't look at that former version of myself very kindly. (They were intelligent but also young and naive, I really should forgive them someday.)

5. If you could travel back in time and tell yourself something now that would have helped you get through school, what would you say? Calling on Mr. Rogers, I guess I'd say "Look for the helpers." They are the only ones to have helped me survive it.