Teacher's Pet

Teacher’s Pet

                                                     By Collette

When my mother, her sister and brother were young, they attended a one-room school house not too far from where I presently live. They had the same teacher while they attended the school. This same woman (I’ll call her Mrs. C.) was my fourth grade teacher in the public school system, as well as, my sister’s and our baby brother’s. She knew my family well.

I remember Mrs. C. vividly. Since I was a quiet, shy little girl at school, I am surprised I wasn’t afraid of her. She wore flowered dresses, old lady shoes (like my grandma wore), had steel gray hair and wore glasses. I liked her as did most students who had her as their teacher. In fact I would say she was one of the most popular teachers at that grade school. There was a reason why.

My school had PTA meetings once a month during the school year. One or more classrooms presented a program. Since parents usually attended the school programs of their children, the auditorium was full. The school, however, took it a step farther. A traveling plaque was introduced. The classroom with the most parents in attendance got to keep the plaque until the next PTA meeting.

Mrs. C. took the competition on with a vengeance. The plaque lived in her room more than any other teacher’s room, and that was a fact. (I even remember which wall held the plaque.)  If we won, the day after the PTA meeting our class got candy if our parents attended. Now that may not sound like a big deal, but teachers did not hand out candy like they do today. Unbeknownst to the students, Mrs. C. had a running competition with another of my favorite teachers, Mrs. D. who taught sixth grade. Their classrooms were beside each other, and the story goes they didn’t speak to one another because of the competition for the plaque.

I have to confess, another reason I liked Mrs. C. was because I was one of her “pets.” Never having been one of those before (and probably not since), I was happy she took a genuine interest in me. Mrs. C. modeled teaching traits I applied to my teaching-not the competitiveness, but she showed me how to make contact with students in a positive way that made them feel special. Yes, I have even bribed with candy, too.