Thursday, August 5, 2010

If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher

I was thinking today about my English teacher from high school.  She, I think, was the coolest teacher I ever had.  She made learning fun.  We read Shakespeare in high school.  Now for the average young teenager, Shakespeare  is no where near the top of any reading list, if there absolutely has to be one.  But she actually made it interesting.  She would give us the play version.  Then students were assigned parts to read.  One might be Othello, one might be Iago, one might be Hamlet and so forth.  THEN, if the weather was nice, we would go outside on the lawn to read the play whilst sitting on blankets.  But not by any ordinary means.  We would, instead of using the conventional door, exit through her classroom window.  AND THAT'S NOT ALL....after simply reading the play, we would then take an excerpt from the play, put on make-shift costumes, go to the auditorium and act out the play...on film. 

 Sometimes she would let us order burgers and fries from Keech's Grill just down the road from the school.  Instead of the regular school lunch of vegetable beef soup from a giant can we would eat unhealtily in her classroom.  She had a giant inflatable gorilla that sat in the corner of the classroom.  She had a little bear on a unicycle that would ride a string across the ceiling.  Instead of student desks we had dinner style tables with students facing each other.  We had REAL round table discussions.  And we could write anything (but perverse) things on the table with markers.  When the table was full, we'd paint it and start over.  She pushed her books and things up and down the halls in a grocery buggy.  To say the least, Mrs. Annie Cutler was the most amazing teacher I ever had.  And I spent six years in college. 

However, she was NOT an easy teacher.  Her tests were often open-ended questions that required a paragraph or two.  And they often were detailed enough that you had to do some major thinking and material recall to answer correctly.  But in the end it was all worth all the work.  When we had papers to write with a certain word count, we were not allowed to count words such as a, and, the, but, nor, for, and so.  We were also required to keep a journal that we had to write in at least three times a week.  We could write about anything we wanted to with the understanding that she would be reading and grading what we wrote.  It was really a way to get good grades to counter act her often difficult tests.  I once wrote an entire page using all the words I was not allowed to count in my papers.  I got an A for originality.  Really. 

I was scanning the net looking for information on her.  I found a site called "Rate My Teacher".   Ratings were from one to five with one being bad and five being great.  For easiness her rating was a 2.7.  As I said before, she wasn't easy, but she was fun.  But for helpfulness and clarity she had gotten 5.0 in both categories.  Here is a quote I found about her on the same site.  
"She has PASSION and instills it in us for learning. She uses learning styles to the advantage of ALL!"

She also hosted parties at her home for her students.  Not the crazy-go-get-drunk-teenager type parties.  She'd grill hot dogs and hamburgers.  Each student would bring a side, a drink, or a dessert.  And on occasion we'd roast marshmallows over a camp fire.  She had her bathroom painted to look like meadow with a white picket fence around the wall and a tree painted up the wall and branches extended across the ceiling.  Many thought she wore the same clothes every day.  But that wasn't the case.  She would find a shirt or skirt she liked on sale and would buy 5 or 6 of the exact same thing.  I know this for a fact, as she brought her students into her room to have a look in her closet!

I had heard that she had passed away.  To my extreme dismay I found her obituary on line.  I'm not sure what the cause was, but she passed away on March 7, 2009 at the age of sixty-three.  That's not the sort of news you want to hear about a hero.  Mrs. Annie Cutler was a great teacher and an amazing person.  I'll never forget her khaki skirts with blue or pink blouses and the signature sweater tied around her shoulders.  And for whatever reason I was thinking of her today,  I thought it would be a great tribute to memorialize her in a blog post.  Teachers are wonderful resources that carry on throughout our lives.  I think that the get far too little credit (and pay) for all they do for us and our children.  SO........

THANK YOU MRS. ANNIE CUTLER

You Left A Legacy!!

22 comments:

Doc said...

Randy,
Very nice, she has to be smiling down on you.
Doc

Anonymous said...

Thats lovely Randy! Ames xxx

Nekkid Chicken said...

Randy,

That is a very moving and beautiful tribute. She is probably giving you another A+ on your touching, tear invoking eulogy.

HUGS,
Mal

Jim said...

Nice Randy! What a great tribute to a great teacher. She passed on an appreciation of the 'word' to you.

Cat said...

It's always an absolute blessing when you can have a teacher that so inspires you. I had one that was on a similar par, he would have us take tests "Jeopardy" style, and we would actually ASK for more tests.

I think your teacher would be very proud of your blog today.

Cat

freerangegirl said...

What a great story - just found your blog and im really enjoying reading it - love what your doing!

LindaG said...

Too bad teachers can't or aren't allowed to do such stuff any more. It's teachers like that that are truly missed. :)

joanne said...

such a lovely tribute to a wonderful teacher. You got me thinking and sadly I can't remember anyone who touched my life in such a fantastic way...

LemonyRenee' said...

What a wonderful post, Randy. Somehow, I suspect she would have remembered you to this day.

Tracey said...

Really nice....xxx

Little Messy Missy said...

Great post!!! Love the new background!
xoxoxox

farmlady said...

What a nice tribute to a great teacher. Sounds like she left a legacy of teaching that will last her students a lifetime.

Callie Brady said...

I loved reading about Mrs. Annie Cutler. I agree that we owe our teachers so very much. I think she loved being a teacher and must have enjoyed having you for a pupil.

BadPenny said...

She sounds fabulous - how lucky to have her make Shakespeare come alive in such a unique way.
Wonderful tribute Randy.

Melodie said...

What a wonderful lady...we need many, many more like her!

Anonymous said...

Dear Randy and Mike, How very true it is that, as you say, teachers, especially inspirational ones, have such a big impact on our personal development. Your tribute to Annie Cutler is wonderful and, I am sure, very fitting for a person who clearly has been so influential on the lives of so many young people.

I am not surprised to read of the A for originality as I think of you as highly imaginative, dear Randy, and hope that, through your weblog you will continue to keep us all enthralled by your activities and thoughts.

Have a lovely weekend.

Chicken Boys said...

Thank you Freerangegirl! Welcome to my blog. Hope you'll stick around! Thanks everyone!
~Randy

John Going Gently said...

randy
this entry is what blogging is all about I think...periods of reflection and thought.....

a lovely post
thank you

Marie Anne said...

Beautiful tribute. You obviously learned a thing or two from her.

Donna said...

For me, it was Sister Digna...1st grade...I also looked for her but found her 6 months too late...
Your teacher sounds like the kind of teacher they All should be...
As a retired nurse, everyone wanted me to be the Best I could be because I worked with and ON patients all day long...What's the Difference between nurses and Teachers? Nothing! Just be the Best you can be...You're working with our nation's children!
Sweet post Randy...
hughugs

Anonymous said...

Great post Randy! Have you ever read 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'? It reminded me of a story someone had written from that. I shall find it one day and post it for you to read.

My English teacher was my fave teacher too - (and I also heard recently that she had passed away in her early 50s!)

Now that I work part time as a techer I try and remember the qualities that made 'my' teacher experiences so special. It's about valuing what the kids can bring - knowing that they can, regardless of their ability and upbringing - cherishing those thoughts and enabling the student to see their worth too!

Well done Mrs Cutler - and well done you.

Judy's Corner said...

Enjoyed your tribute very much. Of course, I never met the woman, but your depiction of her reminds me of my favorite teachers...they were ALWAYS the ones who not only loved their subject, but TRULY delighted in their students ALSO falling in love with that subject.

I imagine there are many, many well educated young men and women who join you in memorializing their favorite teacher!