By Bonnie Brown

Columnist

I’ve been thinking about teachers recently given that the school bells are ringing, summoning the pupils and teachers to return for the new school year.  I think back to my teachers and am in awe of how much I learned from each of them, academically and otherwise.  

My first-grade teacher, Mrs. Helen Wilson, was the finest woman. She was beautiful, charming, and enthusiastic about her job. She was a friend of the family, so I saw her outside of the classroom setting. I also had a serious crush on her son Jimmy that lasted through sophomore year in high school.

My middle school (known then as “junior high”) teachers were three males and one female. Mr. Distel was my history teacher, later to become the principal of my high school. Mr. Webb was my math teacher and wore a bow tie, unusual for the time. 

Mr. Jackson taught me science in a way that I felt like I understood the workings of the universe. Mrs. Haynes taught English. She was a lovely woman, very elegant and very smart. She could discipline an entire classroom with one look.

I couldn’t tell you what their salaries might have been back then, but I’m pretty sure they were not adequately compensated. Many had to drive a significant distance to and from school each day in our rural community.  Their jobs consisted of teaching their subject, keeping order in and out of the classroom, and ensuring that we were ready for the next grade. 

Sure, there were challenges like trying to keep us from smoking, using bad language, and such. Bullying was not what it is today and we kids usually handled the bullies ourselves. My brother was bullied by a classmate, and we invited him home to spend the night. Our plan was to beat the snot out of him, but our mother caught on to what we were about to do and made us be nice to him. That taught us a lesson, but at least after that, he didn’t bully my brother again.

There was never a concern that someone might come into our school to do us harm. No shootings, no drugs, no suicides. There was no school nurse, so the teachers were the ones to administer aspirin or ice packs if you caught a fly ball in the kisser. The teachers didn’t have to be social workers, mediators, counselors, and surrogate parents back then.  

For the most part, the parents did their job by setting a good example, providing food and shelter, and administering discipline when necessary.  And most importantly, they were actively involved in their children’s lives both in and out of the classroom.  

These days, teachers face many challenges. They spend lots of their own money making up for the lack of resources available to them for their students.  They worry about the students whose home life is fraught with all kinds of issues.  They must deal with bullying over social media which greatly impacts the students’ performance and behavior in school. Teachers are challenged with trying to engage parents, deal with students’ attitudes, learning disabilities, cultural and language differences, grades, and teaching for the high-stakes tests.  

And paramount among those responsibilities is safety.  Our children should be safe in school.  

So as this new school year gets underway, let’s hope that both teachers and students set goals, establish a good routine, and bring a positive attitude to the classroom each day.  

And parents, be sure to do your part too.