Excising a little unkindness

To the best of my memory, I've never removed a post from this blog in the course of its five or so years. But the Dry-Flater reminded me a couple of weeks ago of an especially unkind reference in a long-ago post that has been floating around out there in the blogosphere ever since. And so, while browsing among old posts as I attempt to index this beast a little more effecively, I just flat out killed that sucker this morning.

It involved a teacher, fifth- or sixth-grade if I'm remembering right, against whom I've always held a grudge. I never liked her. Even though she never whacked me, I watched her smack others back in the day when teachers could do that. I saw her be unkind to what now would be called a learning-disabled student. And so on and so on. So I decided 40 years later to get even with a little unkindness of my own. Now that's gone. The blogosphere is a mean enough place without my contribution to it.

Looking back, I wonder if teachers sometimes lose track of the amazing influence good and bad that they have on their charges; of the fact that memorable teachers --- good and bad --- will be remembered forever. Although I may not get the spelling quite right in a couple of instances, here's a list of my unforgettably outstanding teachers.

Ethyle Cummins, primary at old Dry Flat, and Teddy Chapman in third grade at Russell (along with Ruth Roach, who taught music and played the autoharp).

The incomparable Jerry Ellis in eighth grade; Mrs. Wantland (typing) and Helen Frerichs (English) in high school. Helen, mandatorially retired down in northwest Missouri, declined to give up --- driving up to Russell across the state line early Mondays so she could continue to teach, home to her husband and family in Missouri late Fridays.

In college, Dr. George Forell, of the School of Religion; and at the J School, Fr. John B. Bremner.

As for the unforgettably bad ones, and there was only that one --- water under the bridge.