This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Friday, July 29, 2011

But It Was Art, Not Vandalism!

Recent graffiti vandalism in the men's room at our neighborhood pool.
       

             My life as a vandal was short lived.  The graffiti that I left in my father's copy of W.C. Fields: His Follies and Fortunes was probably not intended to deface blank pages as much as my attempt to enhance them.  No one else had used those pages yet so why shouldn't I leave my legacy of artistic expression?

          Since there had apparently been no discernible memory of any repercussions from my marring the pages of my father's book, I presumably did not see anything wrong with leaving my art wherever and whenever I felt like it.  Not to say I was an indiscriminate vandal who was tagging every blank space in sight.  On the contrary, I'm not sure I ever did anything else other than a few minor attempts at wall art which was quickly put in check by my mother.

          Then came the incident in first grade that would open my eyes to the horror and disgrace of graffiti and defacement of public property.  The immense shame I experienced from this incident would cure me of trying to leave my mark of having been in a place.

           It was 1956.  I was attending Garfield Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio.  My first grade teacher was the dreaded and much feared Mrs. Goldbach.  She was the oldest, meanest, wrinkliest,  and scariest teacher a kid could ever have.  No nefarious Nazi villain, frightful movie monster, or dark ghoul from one of my grandmother's stories was half as terrifying as Mrs. Goldbach.

         After an idyllic year in kindergarten with the benevolent Mrs. Benham, I had grown to like school a great deal.  When my incarceration in the first grade came about I was downcast to learn who my teacher would be.  We had all heard the rumors that turned out to be true.  Mrs. Goldbach was a terrifying tyrant.

          I don't remember much about the first grade except for the day that would be seared into my memories.  In absent minded reverie I guess I was dreaming of a place far away from this classroom prison.  I pictured myself in a peaceful setting.  In my vision I saw a sailboat on calm water lazily drifting under cloud mottled skies.  I decided to actualize my vision in pencil on my desk.

         It was an old desk after all, and many students before me had left their initials and doodles.  I was going to be leaving artwork to be enjoyed by students in the future.  Distractedly I began drawing the bestest, most beautifulest sailboat that any kid anywhere had ever drawn on a school desk.  As I sat admiring my work, I suddenly sensed the presence behind me.  I gasped and shuddered in terror when I realized Mrs. Goldbach was hulking over me with a disapproving scowl.

         With all eyes of my classmates turned in my direction, Mrs. Goldbach began to lecture me about the evil that I had done.  I don't remember exactly what she said, but I do recall the punishment that she meted out to me. Since I walked the block and a half home for lunch, she instructed me to return with a bucket of soapy water and a rag so I could clean off the desk.  I sulked in silence as my inner sense of rebellion mounted.

       As I walked home for lunch I began to picture myself returning to school lugging the galvanized steel bucket sloshing with soapy water.  I knew how heavy a bucket of water could be and realized that carrying one for a block and a half would be difficult for a kid my size.  I fretted and seethed inwardly as I made my way home with laden steps.

        When I got home I immediately informed my mother that I didn't feel good.  It wasn't a lie because I didn't feel very well.  My mother had me lie down and took my temperature.  She informed me that I was running a fever and could stay home the rest of the day.

         I had escaped the unjust punishment of Mrs. Goldbach, but my inappropriate actions were brought to my mother's attention when my teacher called later that day and told her what I had done.  My mother reprimanded me, but I could tell that she also thought that the suggested punishment was a bit extreme.  When I went back to school the next day my artwork was gone.

         Nowadays a teacher couldn't get away with some of the things that Mrs. Goldbach did, but we were probably more well-behaved and more respectful than students are today.  Why my teacher didn't just have the janitor bring a bucket of water down to the class and have me scrub my desk in front of my classmates I don't know.  That would have been humiliating enough and the lesson would have been made clear to all of us.

         I do have happy memories of the first grade, but there are none that I relate to Mrs. Goldbach.  She was the stuff of my childhood nightmares.  On the other hand, to her great credit, she was the teacher who taught me to read.   And she did teach me about the wrongness of defacing property.

         Do you have memories of a teacher who instilled terror in you?   What types of things did you get in trouble for at school?   What do you think of graffiti--vandalism or expression?

         I'm not the only one with a story about Mrs. Goldbach.  When I was writing this I did a Google search because I was not sure about the spelling of her name.   I found this wonderful story by Susan Trausch about Olive A. Goldbach.   You might get a kick out off her take on this.




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64 comments:

  1. I think there's a Mrs. Goldbach lurking in just about everyone's past.
    Mine was Miss Flynn who physically pulled me from my desk for misspelling a word. (And I still can't spell).

    Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

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  2. I also had a scary teacher when I was small, but she taught me to read and looking back, I don't think she was as bad as yours. I think, behind the iron mask, was actually a lady who loved teaching kids and it was her way of doing so.

    Great post though! Dragging that bucket of water would have been a bit over the top.

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  3. I had two teachers who were really into saving the Earth. I was in 2nd grade. We would sing all sorts of songs about endangered animals, planting gardens, and never ever ever cutting down trees.

    Hey, I'm from Olympia, Washington, okay?

    So one day we're making books, and I am MISS ARTSY so I'm rocking my rhyme book, drawing a bat and a cat and a hat when one of my friends remarks that their crayon is too dull to draw with and it's messing up their ability to color in the lines.

    I swiftly demonstrated that if you take your crayon, trim a bit of the paper, press it into the paper at an angle, and scribble really hard, you can sharpen your crayons. Cool! We practiced on a couple sheets of paper.

    I do not exaggerate what happened later that day. My teacher, very upset, gathered the class together and had us sit in a circle on the floor. As if brandishing an accusatory pair of dirty underwear, she held up a sheet of paper with nothing but scribbles. Then there was another surprise lesson on conserving our Earth's resources. She demanded to know who had wasted an entire sheet of paper. I was terrified, and she was IRATE. Several of the students knew who the unappreciated Picasso was, but they never told on me. Instead, everyone stayed in during recess.

    Thinking about how to save trees,
    And how someone in the room was a paper-waster.

    The End.

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  4. I had a psychotic teacher in college. Several actually. One who even locked her boyfriend in a closet and started shooting. Fortunately for him, she missed.

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  5. Hi Lee .. I can't remember .. so they can't have been that bad! Loved the link to Olive .. (but the Susan one went to Amazon ? the same ..) - interesting you both reflected on the influence she instilled on your young and future lives.

    Great post - thanks .. and I love Alex' comment .. that sounds scary! Cheers - Hilary

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  6. I think everyone has a sour memory of a teacher. Eek! Yours definitely was a heck of a story. I would have gotten sick as well stressing myself out on how embarassing it would be and how dang heavy the bucket would be!

    Fabulous post! It's been to long since I've visited. I wish I could comment more often, but today has bene fun!

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  7. I did not have a Mrs Goldbach because I went to a private school in India (My Mom rather not buy things for herself). My husband had a Mr.so and so, that beat on his tender palm (age five) with a cane so hard that there were red stripes on his palm even until he went home that afternoon. The little boy's offence - - snacking on peanuts when it was not snack time. Two of my kids had a Mrs. M who did not like when kids told their parents their day's events. I had a need to know how my kid's day would be. When Mrs.M Found out that kids would talk to their parents she made them wear a paper tail all day long so other kids would laugh at them. The teachers logic, "You are not suppose to Tatle".

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  8. Manzanita -- Teachers shouldn't be harsh when it comes to educational issues. Discipline should be reserved for bad behavior. Your teacher must have had some weird issues going on that day.

    Rebecca -- My child mind may have exagerrated things as well and maybe that teacher was not as bad as she seemed. Then again finding another story about her on the internet kind of confirms something.

    Christine -- I'm glad none of your classmates ratted on you. Your teacher was taking environmenatlism a bit too far I think.

    Alex -- No wonder college students are such a mess. I had some weird ones too, but I don't think any went to the extreme the one you had did.

    Hilary -- I was linking to Susan Trausch's Amazon author page. After you brought it to my attention I changed the link to go to a more informative site about her.

    Jen -- Yes, I've missed you, but I know we both have been pretty busy. Yeah, I wouldn't want to carry that bucket even now.

    Munir -- Extreme physical punishment to a child is uncalled for, especially when they don't even totally understand the offense. And I don't think the cruelty helps that much, but it could make things worse in their future attitudes.

    Lee

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  9. I had a very crazy 6th grade teacher. C.R.A.Z.Y. We girls felt she hated us and loved the boys. It may have been true since she gave every single girl in our class an F in math one quarter. Since I was a straight A student, that didn't fly.

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  10. Yes indeed, Miss Belfrey, teacher of a one room school. I had her for six years until the new school was built behind us. Her favourite method of punishment was to embarrass a child in front of the class. Quite effective. She also REALLY liked to use the strap on the boys.

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  11. Ahhh yes...Mrs. Murdock, my 3rd grade teacher. She wasn't actually a mean teacher, except the one time. I remember the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach when she told us to take an assignment out of our desk and I realized that I had totally forgotten to finish it (I had started it though). I had never done that before (and probably never again after that) and I was incredibly shy. I had to tell her that I hadn't finished the work. And she took me in the cloak room and paddled me.
    I remember going home after school, straight to my room and hiding in my bed (I had a trundle bed and could still fit in it when it was pushed under my sister's bed). When my mom found me and I told her what had happened (I was so ashamed), she was livid.
    I think my mom was one of the reasons that paddling is no longer allowed in our schools.

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  12. marvelously written, Lee!

    As far as I remember most of my teachers were evil people and I was afraid of all of them even though I was a good pupil and a well behaved kid. I remember a teacher of Hungarian language who used to bang kid's heads into our desks! I'd probably kill someone if something like that happened to my kid :)

    I'm totally against graffiti and I think that the parents of little vandals should be punished severely with huge huge fines!

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  13. Liked your story of Mrs. Goldbach and also Susan's story about her. She must have been a piece of work. We all seem to have vivid horror stories from 1st grade! I got in deep trouble with Mrs. Beers simply because I did a friend's homework for her when she was sick and missed a week of school. The friend didn't ask me to do it; in my little 1st grade mind I just thought it would be a nice thing to do. Mrs. Beers did not agree and gave me a boatload of extra work to do since, as she put it, "You seem to be so fond of it." No gentle explanations of why my friend would miss out on learning if I did her homework. Mrs. Beers twisted it around and made me feel as though I was somehow cheating! I was mortified. Does every 1st grade teacher seem like an ogre to kids?
    Pam at www.2encourage.blogspot.com

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  14. Teresa -- That kind of teacher would make one wonder. I guess it was good to be a boy in her class though.

    Delores -- Humiliation is the most effective as far as punishment that lingers with us the longest. I think in many ways it is the worst kind of punishment.

    Laura -- I always thought paddling was an odd approach for teachers to take. Now a teacher would probably get sued for doing it.

    Dezmond -- Your schooling sounds frightening. As far as grafitti, unfortunately most of the perpetrators are not so little and big enough to know better. In the community where I live your suggestion is exactly what they've been doing and the reduction in grafitti has been significant.

    Pam -- You'd think a teacher named Mrs. Beers would be fun like a party every day. I think often first graders are so intimidated by teachers and other authorities that it just seems like they're scary.

    Lee

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  15. Mine was the scary PE teacher in middle school. I think mentally I've blocked her name from my memory. She was a horrible human being without an ounce of empathy. Scarred me for life. It's true, I'll never attempt the parallel bars again. :)

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  16. Wow! :) Both stories are very good!

    I was home schooled K-12 so any terror, joy, misgiving, celebration, was ruled by my mom. I never set foot in any school. My memories are located at the kitchen table with my other sisters and brothers.

    Probably the most traumatic experience for us both, my mother and I, was Algebra 2. Plenty of exclamations when we solved the problem with plenty of tears when it just seemed impossible! It's not the two years of Latin that I taught myself with the help of a teacher from out of state, over the phone. Nope. I have nightmares still of that darn math test I needed to finish to graduate!

    hee hee! ;)

    Very nice blog! Take care...

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  17. This makes me think of two things-- my daughter's first-grade teacher who was infinitely more strict than her kindergarten teacher and my father's stories of his own escapades. :)

    This was nice, Lee. I enjoyed it.

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  18. Yes, old lady Coogan. On hot days, she'd roll her nylons down below her knees, and would point to things on the chalkboard using her middle finger.

    She actually turned out to be a good egg. I blogged about her once, but have no idea where to find it now.

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  19. mr garber our principal had the longest fingers and he would dig them into your collar bone...ugh...scary man

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  20. I have a very similar memory which involved our Science Teacher, "Mrs. Fly". Can you imagine, a SCIENCE teacher with the name "Fly"? Like you, I remember that incident to this very day! (I was probably 6 when it happened.

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  21. I had a teacher who bawled me out in front of the whole class. He got angry because I wouldn't sit in the front row of the class. I wasn't one of the kids who made trouble, I was one of those who tried to blend into the woodwork and not get noticed. Which was why I didn't want to sit in the front row. It was Grade 5. I was glad to graduate that year and never see that teacher again.

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  22. Our school's principal, M-M-M-Mr. C-C-Cl--, M-M-Mr. C--, M-Mr. C-C-Cla--

    It's no use. I'm still too frightened even to write his name.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  23. Karen -- Why do teachers do that to kids? It's so humiliating.

    L.G.-- PE teachers could be the worst. And yes, my parallel bar days are over as well. Actually I never had them.

    Chell -- Thanks for the visit and kind words. I was always good at math until it got into the trigonometry and then I became a math idiot and have never been the same since.

    Suze -- Thanks! I guess first grade is when we're supposed to leave our childhoods behind.

    Altadena -- That portrayed a pretty creepy image, but I'm glad she turned out to be okay.

    Brian -- Ouch! Sounds like a character from a horror film.

    Sweet Tea -- Wait a minute... You were taking science when you were 6? Love that name "Fly". In 7th grade I had a math teacher named Mr. Pigg. Lot's of jokes there.

    Laura -- Yeah, I was like you. I just reported for duty and wanted everyone to leave me alone. Really now, who wants to sit in the front row?

    Stephen McC -- So that's what happened to you. You'll have to tell the story one day. You can write about it on your blog.

    Lee

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  24. Hey Lee.
    I remember one of my science and Biology teachers, a mister Scholender. I was a teenager and just getting to know about girls and one day a bunch of friends and I came to this poor guy for advice. This poor teacher must have felt like crawling under the rug. I feel sorry for him now, he was a really nice guy.
    Funny things children ask. Ha, Ha, Ha.
    Nice post, Geoff.

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  25. With us it was Miss Bondart, going into third grade. Terror of the school, scary mean mouth covered with blood-red lipstick, a big black bun of hair & matching eyebrows, and a long wooden pointer she'd slash through the air.

    I cried when I found out I'd been assigned Miss Bondart, and then... I loved her. Somehow although I'd struggled hopelessly through the previous year to learn to tell time, with her, I "got" it. Math magically made sense. I made my parents invite her home for dinner, and cried when I had to leave her classroom at year end.

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  26. Yikes! I've had kids clean up their drawings from desks - but never had them bring a bucket from home! That's bizarre.

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  27. I love the stories you share. Thanks!

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  28. Pretty much all I had to do was show up and continue to breathe to find myself in a jam.
    You described my first grade teacher perfectly -- except mine was a nun.

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  29. Your story reminded me of both Mr. Bookman, the Library Cop from Seinfeld, and Ralphie's teacher from Christmas Story (I don't remember her name...Mrs. Ross...?). Anyway, great story.
    My school years were filled with such characters. The most memorable one was the nun we called Sister Caligula. She gave out so many after-school detentions (You knew you had one when she said, "I'll see you later, Mister [or Mary Jane]".)
    It got so bad that, as I left for school each morning, I'd tell my mother, "Goodbye, Mom. I'm probably staying after school today."
    Ah, good times, good times.
    She's probably dead now.

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  30. Geoff -- In ninth grade we had a class called Health and that's where I officially learned sex education. It was a normal part of the curriculum.

    Beverly -- Just goes to show that looks can be deceiving.

    Jemi -- Kids should learn to be accountable for their actions, but bringing ones own water bucket is pretty extreme.

    IBD - As always it's good to see you here.

    Mary -- I've heard some terrifying stories about the nun teachers.

    Al -- Yes, those were the days weren't they. I don't think I ever had to stay after school as punishment, but I would stay for extra activities sometimes.

    Lee

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  31. I'm guessing your teacher wanted you to bring a bucket from home so that you would be forced to tell your mother what you did. Only, it didn't quite work out that way...

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  32. Lee,
    This is such a great post... We need something in the middle... Now a days it seems we are allowed to do nothing and we are going to pay a huge price for this one day...the sad thing is we aren't even shocked anymore by the behavior and the words coming out of kids mouths today I don't know what the solution is...
    Here's my scary story... 1973 3rd grade... Ms. Clayton...You had to stand up at your desk and recite your multiplication tables and if you got them wrong... you had to walk up to her desk hold out your hand and she would whack it with a ruler.!
    OUCH!
    Take care,
    Lisa

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  33. Vandalism. Only not for a first-grader who didn't know the meaning of graffiti. It's fine to express yourself, but on your own property, not someone else's. Unless you ask for and receive permission to do so. My Mrs. Goldbach was Mrs. Fischer. High school American Lit. Ugh.

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  34. Mr. Truman Noble was supposed to be the meanest teacher in the whole school. When I saw he was to be my 7th grade homeroom teacher I nearly chipped a tooth clenching my jaw in fear. He ended up being one of the most intelligent/entertaining teachers I ever had. Hats off to you Mr. Noble.

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  35. Luckily I had no Mrs Goldbach as a teacher. I loved school and was lucky in my teachers. Poor little first grader!

    Vandalism is another story. I only wish these often talented young people could make it in the art world so they didn't have to go around defacing public and private property. I like the programs councils do to create special spaces for this 'modern art.'

    Denise

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  36. Karen -- Maybe she wanted to be sure that I'd tell my mother, but I think the bucket issue upset my mother more than what I had done.

    Lisa FF-- You're right about a middle ground. Kids need to learn accountability and have consequences for their actions. Discipline should be reasonable.

    Carol- Kids need to be taught respect. In my case I thought I was beautifying an already marked up ugly desk. Now I know better.

    Leslie -- Mean is often confused with stern or serious. And sometimes untrue rumors are spread giving teachers worse reputations that they deserve. Sounds like Mr. Noble was a noble teacher.

    Denise -- A lot of these graffiti taggers neat to be given better things to do with their time and talent. It costs taxpayers a great deal to clean up the messes.

    Lee

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  37. "V" is a difficult letter for the blogging challenge, but your post is excellent!

    P.S. I’ve left a response to your comment on Bird’s-eye View at http://michellefayard.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-blog-comments-to-work-for-you.html.

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  38. No memories of terrorizing teachers for me.

    I'm just impressed that you could make an entertaining story out of a first grade experience! :)

    Guess that Mrs. Goldbach put you on the path of being a fine writer.

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  39. you were only 6 and she sent you home?!!! Oh my gosh I shudder when I think of that! I had a teach like that and I rememeber thinking that she was the most evil person in the world!
    Blessings, Joanne

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  40. I went to catholic school and was taught by the nuns. In 5th grade I was always finding ways to dodge doing my homework. I remember the nun would walk up and down the isle collecting homework assignments and I always had a reason why my wasn't done. The reason I gave one time was that my mom was in the hospital the night before and I was spending time with her.

    Imagine lying to a nun!! And imagine the problems that resulted when my parents went for a conference at school. I remember them returning ... "in the hospital? really?"

    The homework notebook was born. I copied my homework assignments into it. The nun signed the book. Mom checked the book at home, I did the work, and she signed the book. And that went on until the end of 5th grade.

    Oh those were the days!!! :-)

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  41. My mother had a similar experience to yours in around 1914. She had chalked on the school wall and was made to rub it off with her fingers. She didn't do it again.

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  42. Yeah, I had a couple like that in elementary school. Old school teachers. Old ladies with hair pulled back tight in a bun and a whacking stick beside their desk.

    Most graffiti is vandalism. Some can be considered art, but 99 percent is just words sprayed with a can of black spray paint. I say cane the little vandals.

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  43. Great story. I had a teacher like that in 2nd grade, when we were living in Seoul, South Korea. I loathed her from the start and began my own personal battle with her. I did all kinds of subtle and not so subtle things to get out giving her what she wanted. I'm sure I was the bane of her existence that year.

    She won, though. My father got transferred back to the States in May. When she knew it was safe, and she was sure not to get me again, she failed me. I got to go to a new school in the fall and do 2nd grade again, and I had to live with the stigma of being stupid because I was a grade behind, until I graduated from high school early.

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  44. can't remember any teacher that has scarred me for life...or maybe my mind just refuses to go back and remember all those horrifying details! lol. or maybe my life is just kind of boring, so far. :D

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  45. There was nobody scarier than my elementary school principal. She had this tough, commanding presence. I had seen her yell at kids and I definitely didn't want any of that action!

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  46. Michelle -- Thank you for stopping by.

    Anita -- Needless to say Ms. Goldbach made a big impression on me for better or worse.

    Joanne-- Our recollections of childhood may be more dire than they actually were.

    Ret Knitter -- Sounds like a good plan was set into place, though a bit rigid for you I guess.

    Jabblog -- Ouch, that could have worn down the skin on her fingers I guess.

    Stephen -- In Pico Rivera making the vandals and their parents pay hefty fines and clean-up expenses has helped. I hate seeing most graffiti.

    Donna -- I guess the injustice was eventually reversed in your favor, but it was still a dirty trick for the teacher to play on you.

    Mymy -- Maybe not such a boring life, but fortunate in what teachers you had.

    Artistry -- I guess since principals are at the top of the chain they have to come across heavy.

    Lee

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  47. My horrible 4th grade teacher pulled me in front of the class and told me to kick another kid who had knocked a book off my desk. When I didn't kick him, because my parents taught me kicking was wrong, she accused me of being afraid of the kid beating me up after school. I should have kicked the teacher.

    Joyce
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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  48. Now days the boys just draw their favourite anatomy part - I'd like to see a sailboat once in a while!

    In primary school I passed a note to a friend telling her I was moving interstate. She cried. The teacher asked if it was true and I said yes. I had lied. The class even had a party for me and eventually my Mum was called in to sort out the paperwork. Not my finest moment.

    Wagging Tales - Blog for Writers

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  49. Ha! I think I had a Mrs. Goldbach stalking my every move during my time in school. Of course I deserved every tongue lashing and swat on the butt I received. Oh yes... teachers could use corporal punishment in those days and my butt was one of their main targets!

    As far as graffiti goes... I think it should come with a stiff fine and jail time if the culprit is caught and found guilty!

    God bless and have a great week :-)

    ~Ron

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  50. Oh yes, I had a Mrs. Goldbach. Her name was Mrs. Willis and we nicknamed her Witch Willis. She was horrible, she refused to call me by my name (Langley) and said "any parent in their right mind would never name a child Langley." This is 3rd grade, mind you. Dad went to talk to her about it and she told the class all about their discussion the next day. You couldn't win with this lady. My name for the entire 3rd grade year was Leslie.

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  51. Sister Mary Richards terrorized every second grader that entered her classroom and that included me. She could be facing the blackboard, writing, conducting the class . . . but if she heard one whisper behind her back she hurled her chalk-filled eraser and hit the culprit squarely in the head every time. There was never any doubt who had been talking because they had chalk dust on their foreheads.

    Terrible. I was scarred for life. Well, not really.

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  52. Joyce -- Just the opposite of what a teacher should be doing. Maybe it was a test?

    Charmaine -- I guess you wanted to move after all of that.

    Ron -- Yes, we in the Los Angeles area know well about graffiti. Some tough measures are needed.

    Leslie, I mean Langley -- Sounds like Witch Willis had it in for you.

    C. Lee -- Sister Richards certainly had a unique skill in disciplining students.

    Lee

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  53. Cool story....
    I used to write "I love graffiti" all over everything when I was in high school.

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  54. don't remember any scary teachers but i do remember one of my favorties which was my 10th grade biology teacher he would tell us the most interesting stories about growing up in the 1920's and 1930's it was amazing

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  55. I had a teacher that called me a nerd...low income schools are the best *sarcasm*...
    In the bathroom at my college's music department, people write inspiring yet corny quotes on the walls, lol.

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  56. I had a teacher, Mrs. Barnes, in elementary school. She would probably make Mrs. Goldbach look like Miss Congeniality.

    This was back in the days when teachers, this one anyway, could use rulers for other purposes besides measuring things.

    I still shudder when I walk by the school supplies in Wal-Mart. Ha!

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  57. Mine was a Miss Owen, she would scower the corridors of our school with a stern look on her face, and tried to convince me that I shouldn't pursue my creative dreams

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  58. Andrew -- So you were the guy!

    Becca -- I watched a movie called Waterland the other night that was about a very similar type teacher.

    Dianne -- I would accept the title "nerd" as a badge of honor.

    Bryce -- I never had a teacher apply physical discipline, but some of the other more unruly students would get the paddle applied now and then.

    Amanda - It's good that you didn't let Miss Owen stop you from pursuing your art.

    Lee

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  59. Some people just should NOT be teachers. I know it's completely unacceptable nowadays for teachers to be abusive, but there are still some teachers who clearly hate children and should get a new profession.

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  60. I love this post! I do think we all have a Mrs. Goldbach in our memory. I went to a Catholic elementary school and was scared to death of several nuns. I was so shy in school I never really got in any trouble, but I still remember sitting at my desk and trembling at the thought of doing anything out of line while Sister Catherine was on the loose with her ruler.

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  61. When my son was five, he graffiti'ed the wall of his playroom...and I left it there. He did the same to the four walls of his bedroom in high school...and went on to art school. I'm pretty liberal about graffiti (Check out my "g" post in the A to Z blogfest). So when a friend of my son's died and his friends painted a memorial to him on the side of the local grocery store, I was dismayed when the management eliminated their beautiful tribute with white paint. I mean, really??

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  62. Trisha -- I don't know if they just didn't realize what they were getting into or have become jaded by the job, but sometimes it's probably good for a teacher to leave the profession or take a different approach in their education career.

    Julie -- We hear so many stories of scary nuns in Catholic schools, but maybe it was just from perspective as seen through a child's eyes.

    Jan -- It really depends on what the so-called graffiti looks like. When it's scrawled gang tagging it's not only despicable and ugly, it can also be dangerous.

    Lee

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  63. I had a math teacher that had a permanent scowl on his face. He was always nice to me, but just had that kind of face. On the other hand, I had a biology teacher that always had a permanent smile on his face. Including the time he kicked me out of class. The one and only time. Turns out he was a jerk. You never can tell by appearances.
    Cool story bro.

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  64. Such a funny story! Goldbach is an intimidating name. My second grade teacher Mrs. Richmond frightened the pants off of me.

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