In the spirit of alumni competition I’d like to nominate the Class of 1972 as one of the most difficult to teach and eagerly anticipate worthy challengers to the title: “Class Most Likely to End a Teacher’s Career.” For concrete evidence I submit our eighth grade version, a year we lost almost 50 percent of our teachers. I believe all three quit, or were fired, before the end of the year. I’m completely certain Chesty Charlie didn’t make it to the end, not as certain about the other two who most definitely didn’t return for round two, but I don’t think any of the three finished the school term. We were a most talented group of junior insurrectionists, and while I had my moments, I can’t claim topflight status. I’m tempted to formally name my betters, but hope they will soon step up to claim their true rewards independent of my nomination.
And then there’s the much more serious side, the terrifically challenging task of guiding young people to knowledge and better choices while staying safe and sane in the process. Continue reading “Teacher’s Last Day”