How much do you remember of your time in school? Twelve years (more in some places) is a long time to be anywhere, even with the summers off. We should remember quite a bit. What I remember best, however, isn’t what was on the curriculum, but what rubbed off from a few special teachers.
Science + …
As a sixth-grade science teacher at a Catholic school, Mary Lannis often spoke between the lines so as not to contradict what we were hearing in religion class. When a student asked her about Mesopotamia and the Garden of Eden, she drew an outline of Africa and said, “I think the Garden of Eden was here” as she pointed to the exact location of the Olduvai Gorge — where skeletons of hominids supported the idea of human evolution.
World history + …
All the way up to tenth grade, world history — especially 20th-century history — remained untaught. Then Greg Broman was there to explain colonialism and the conflicts between great powers and nation-states. He could trace anything to a key development or a key moment and see the ingenuity or human shortcomings at the root of it. To explain a revolution, he’d say, “This is an example of Broman’s First Law: No one gives up power willingly.”
US history + …
Eleventh grade finally brought a proper, chronological survey of American history in an elective, college-level class. Barbara Jucca‘s first words to us communicated a level of discourse unprecedented in its strictness: “Everything you say in this room must be true.” It had to be objectively verifiable, with no room for opinion. A lot of American history, it turns out, is about ideology and about people arguing different points of view, many of which obscured the actual facts. We didn’t need to do that ourselves.
Math + …
Advanced algebra was taught by Jim Nahas, the spitting image of French President François Mitterrand. “You can’t be expected to remember all these formulas,” he said, “so I’ve created these formula sheets for you.” He let us use them even during tests. This did not go down well at all with calculus teacher John Salamone, who sometimes dropped by unexpectedly. “What are you doing?” Mr. Salamone would say, swiping a formula sheet from a kid in the front row and tearing it up into tiny pieces. “It’s a crutch! They’ve got to think for themselves!” Mr. Salamone, who was also the basketball coach, was known for his sense of humor and theatricality. But Mr. Nahas always got the better of him. When Mr. Salamone left, he’d smile and say, “Don’t worry, kids. I’ve got more formula sheets.” Lesson 1: Knowing where to find information is almost as good as knowing that information. Lesson 2: Teaching is actually a fun profession.
English + …
One of my English classes was taught by Jennie Halapatz, a lady with spiky, white hair and a twinkle in her eye. She liked the word “chutzpah”, and she had a lot of it. She subscribed to Playboy, she told us, though the pictures didn’t interest her. “Because of the pictures, they can afford to pay the best writers,” she explained. This was true back then; a lot of well-known authors were making good money from such articles. Ms. Halapatz’s true calling, I think, was to teach us structured thought and critical thinking. “My daughter came home from a party last night and complained about how boring it was,” she said. “I asked her, ‘What did you do to make it less boring?’” It was Ms. Halapatz who impressed on my mind, indelibly, the importance of clear language and proper punctuation; the difference between saying something and having something to say; and an appreciation of the different ways in which language is used in all aspects of life. It was an entire way of seeing the world.
What distinguished all these teachers, and some others I had (including Mildred Gergich and Robert Taylor), was their way of seeing their students’ individual abilities and talents and believing in them wholeheartedly. As Ms. Halapatz said, “Don’t write, ‘I agree with E. B. White.’ Write, ‘E. B. White agrees with me.’”
I did keep in touch with Ms. Halapatz for a few years, but unfortunately not long enough to let her know I had found a career in writing and editing. She would be so proud to know that her efforts had paid off.
