Category: 1955 to 1972
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THE SISTERS
Going Back in Time At times, I observe people and places and write descriptions of them. In an attempt to organize some of these writings (scribblings?), I have decided to share some of them. The following was written describing South Padre Island around 1970. The fast- growing Port of Brownsville could be seen in the…
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SOMEWHAT WISER
As I gained experience working with students, I became more adept at anticipating their actions. The other clubs which I sponsored after leaving Fort Worth were Future Homemakers of America * clubs. In the sixties, I taught at Lincoln Junior High in Abilene, Texas. At that time, the 9th grade was in junior high. I…
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CLUELESS
Ken and I were both teaching in Fort Worth at Rosemont Junior High (now Middle School) during the 1957-58 school year. One of my assignments was co-sponsor of Y Teens, a girls club under the guidance of the YWCA. I was to help a veteran teacher who had sponsored the group for several years. I…
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FIRST DOG
Our first family dog was a female Weimaraner officially named Kevin’s Miss Schultz and referred to as Schultzie. She was a gift from dear friends to our first son, Kevin. My first thought was: “Just what I need, a baby and a puppy.” However, she quickly won my affection and it did not take…
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CLIMBING THE LEARNING CURVE
I smiled as I sat on the school bus watching the children around me. Inwardly I was laughing at my situation. I, the careful decision maker, could not believe that I was teaching kindergarten. I was a high school teacher. Yet here I was, on a school bus surrounded by my little charges on the…
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PORTRAIT OF A CHILD selective mutism
Kindergarten programs in Texas began with economically disadvantaged non-English speaking children. It was never my intent to teach kindergarten, but circumstances resulted my being there one day enrolling little boys and girls. The children who came to my door were the children of migrant farm workers. One little girl seemed angry. She did not cry…
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HEROIN
The media says heroin is making a comeback. In front of me on my computer screen is yet another article about it. I think back to Tucson in the sixties. Palo Verde High School had what we teachers called a heroin ring. Timothy Leary was out in California telling our students the wonders of LSD. …
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I GOT PAID FOR THIS
Last week I got a check from Reader’s Digest. Even though it was an itty bitty check, I immediately thought it could be a scam. I wondered if someone could get information they did not need if this check went through my bank account. Customer service at Reader’s Digest kept insisting that I must be…
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Newlywed Boundaries
Newlyweds in the fifties had not heard about setting boundaries in relationships. When we married in 1955, we lived in a garage apartment within walking distance of the university where I was taking summer classes. My husband took a job as a roustabout for an oil company to support us until his teaching job began…