As a new teacher, I did not get in trouble nearly often enough. A few times I could have--and possibly should have--been fired. I was in my twenties; that’s my excuse. But I did sometimes have the chance to chat with the principal--more often than I had doe when I was in high school. I have a habit of writing notes on my hand. This has never bothered me, but it became a problem when some of the students picked up that habit. Some of their parents were livid. I was called to the principal’s office and told not to make notes on my hand. It’s hard to break a habit; now retired, I’ve gone back to it. The second reason I was called to speak to the principal was over the matter of my sarcasm, the use of which hurt the poor students’ feelings. Again, parents were outraged and called the school, but not me. This soft-heartedness of the students was surprising to me, because my youth group was based on teasing and sarcasm, and my family could also tongue-lash ”all in fun.” As a young person, I heard a lot of “don’t be so thin-skinned,” and so developed a thicker hide. This was not, apparently, an option that was going to be implemented at the school where I was teaching. I toned down my clever quips.
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Baptist GirlI was a conservative Baptist girl who grew up to become a career Christian, working first in a Baptist school and then in a Baptist college. For about three decades, it was very good until it wasn’t, and I had to leave. But the Baptists formed me. This is my homage to the good times and good people of the world I left, finally, at forty-three, when I became an Episcopalian. These are my memories; others might disagree with my recollections. So be it. Archives
January 2024
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