It was an ordinary day. Posting a story on my "STORYWORTH" account. For Christmas of 2021 my Daughter-In-Law gave me a present that as really neat. It was a subscription to "Storyworth" which allows you to write stories much like I do for my blog, but by Christmas of 2022 I will be able to have all my stories put into book form for others to hold and read. 52 stories which are much like the stories I write everyday for you to read. Well, I thought I would share one of my stories that I wrote for "STORYWORTH" with you, since I had plans to write it for my blog anyway. So today you will be able to read about my favorite courses and teachers from my High School career. I had a great time reliving my high school career and some of my favorite teachers. What made my story even more fun to write was the fact that when I graduated from Millersville State Teachers College I returned to my High School alma mater to teach for 30 years with most of the teachers I had as teachers during my high school years. The following is my story I posted to "STORYWORTH" which will become one of the 52 stories in my "STORYWORTH" book I will get. Enjoy!
I always enjoyed math when I was in high school. Didn't matter what kind of math, I just enjoyed working with numbers. My favorite teacher was a gentleman named Mr. Robert E. Lewis. He just loved numbers and you could tell that he lived to teach mathematics. Mr. Lewis had to walk with the use of a cane and was always bent over. I could never understand how he could possibly place math problems on the blackboard for his classes being that he could barely stand up at all. I had Mr. Lewis for Algebra, Geometry and Trigonometry throughout my high school career. I also enjoyed my history teacher, Mr. Berkheimer, a very tall, very thin social studies teacher whom I had in 10th grade for American History. One of my least favorite subjects, but most favorite teachers was Mrs. Mabel Murray who taught Latin. I had her in 11th and 12th grade and to this day can't remember a single thing I learned in her class. She was so nice to me, trying to help me understand the language, but knowing that I would never understand or be able to use Latin after High School. She reminded me of my grandmother, in both age and sympathy. Another favorite class as well as teacher was Mr. Richard Miller who was my art teacher for two years in high school. I just loved to work with my hands and even though I had very little artistic skills as a painter or artist, Mr. Miller knew my skill was in wood. He taught me how to use different wood carving techniques and I produced some of the neatest pieces of artwork in wood. I ended up teaching Graphic Arts in the classroom next to his classroom at Manheim Township High School. We ate lunch together every day! I also enjoyed my 9th grade General Math teacher, Mrs. Arlene Hauck. She was a tough teacher, walking around her room with a wooden ruler, smacking your desk if you were't doing the problems incorrectly. My two shop teachers, Mr. Lemon and Mr. Ehemann were the most influential teachers in my high school career. They taught me a love of working with my hands. Mr. Lemon taught metal shop while Mr. Ehemann taught wood shop. I eventually taught both courses a few years when I returned to my alma mater after graduating from nearby Millersville State Teacher's College. My major: Industrial Arts, naturally. One last teacher who I just have to mention was Miss Nolan. She was my French teacher and even thought I was terrible in French, I loved her as a teacher. She was also my homeroom teacher and boy was she beautiful. A very tall blonde...the kind that any red-blooded high school boy would love. She was known to just about everyone as "Shenna", as in Shenna...Queen of the jungle in the movies and on TV. At that time I history, a Bible verse had to be read every day during homeroom before the start of school. And, this was in a public school! She told us we all had to take a turn and then go around in reverse order more times until the end of the school year. With about 30 people in my homeroom and a school year that lasted 180 days....well, it was tough. Most of my homeroom, especially the guys, didn't like to read from the Bible, so I asked her if I could do it for them if they wanted me to do so. She told me I could do it if then didn't mind and before long I was reading the Bible a few times a week...usually the same verse every day. But...the deal was that I would read for any one only if they paid me 50c for doing so. I made quite a bit of money reading the Bible during that school year. Can you imagine how much fun it was for me to go back and teach with all these great teachers 5 years after I had graduated from high school and having them as my teachers. Not sure how much they enjoyed it, but I sure loved it. As you may have noticed, I didn't forget much about my high school career! Well, I have been retired from teaching for close to 25 years now. I only hope that a few of my students will remember me as I remembered my teachers at good old Manheim Township High School. I still keep in touch with a few...my next-door neighbors met in my Graphic Arts class and the couple that live across the street from me were also both students of mine in Graphic Arts. Oh yeah...the guy I went to work for immediately after leaving teaching , who owned and operated his own photography studio and framing gallery, was a student of mine in Photography! As they say..."Life Is Good!" It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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