Once upon a time, when expectations were high and reality was the checkpoint, I was a ” wanna-be ”  English teacher ,  all fired up and ready to go.

And go I did, straight to Winder-Barrow High School……….

I was interviewed and hired by the Superintendent, the big “O”, who told me, simply,  ” Give them what they need to succeed in college and the work world ” .  Imagine :  no state standards, no mandated testing, no lesson plans to be checked ,  no bureaucratic  oversight.   Just simply,  ” Do your job, Mrs. Toney “.

And so it began, 3 1/2 years of teaching English,  beginning in the early 1960s and remaining as some of the best years of my life…………

Just out of college and young enough to identify with my senior English kids, I knew that writing would be a valuable tool at any level and in any environment, whether it be college or the business world.

My intent was to expand their language through the following approaches.  Unorthodox but workable———-I HOPED !

—–the use of language ( grammar) would be taught through the classics , not textbooks

—–one-page, one -paragraph themes would be the focus, encouraging expansion of thought

—–students writing in class 2 or 3 times a week

—–English literature studied  many days with student projects showcased

—–50 words a week to spell and define  ( always graded )

—–book reports once a month

—–term paper.

As a bonus, on occasion I would read aloud from the classics.

Some of the assigned topics for the one – page, one- paragraph themes included :

…..All That Glitters is Not Gold

…..The Smallest Screw in the Left-Hand Wheel of Any Car  ( descriptive)

…..The Child is Father of the Man

…..White Dot on Blackboard  ( descriptive )

And the grading ?

I gave two grades : one for mechanics and one for content, hence a balance.

Misspelled words  ( dictionaries required for each student ) , second person  ( you ), subject-verb disagreement, run-on sentences, comma splices and other serious grammatical errors were automatically a C and the second infraction, an F.   No exceptions.  BUT they were encouraged to utilize a bookshelf filled with help plus their own dictionaries.

If the content were developed, reasoning and rationale clear, then that grade would , conceivably, be an A or a B.

Hence, two grammatical errors combined with developed content would become a C.    Tough, but fair.

BY THE END OF THE TERM, ALMOST ALL HAD FINAL GRADES OF AN A OR B………………………………………..

Amazing what teens can do when challenged !

I was young and innocent and had little or no experience in the world of politics and power——–and , so, I did not know that three of my seniors’ fathers were on the local School Board until the first grading period when their kids went home with  unsatisfactory grades .

All three parents came to me and thanked me for the wake-up call prior to college !

Unfortunately , times have changed.  As a high school principal, I dealt with entirely too many parents critical of the teachers, the system, and the protocol .  Top grades were anticipated and expected at any cost.  I fear  , in too many cases , we have lost the desire for excellence, looking only at the surface.

Thanks goes to David, one of my favorites in the  WBHS class of ’65 , who drove to Lavonia to take Byron and me to lunch.  We spent more than an hour reminiscing about those days gone by.

It stirred my memories of  long-ago themes,  bright kids,  supportive parents, and a school system that allowed a young teacher to do what she did best—–with no interference.

And thanks to many of those ’60s students who stay in touch with me through social media.  It is truly special………………

 

—————THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR SHARING OF ANY OF MY BLOGS THAT YOU ENJOY.  IT IS TRULY APPRECIATED………………

 

 

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