He was our teacher, sometimes our friend, but most importantly, he modeled the way we should approach life I heard about it afterward. I heard about the way our high school principal and teacher broke down in tears during his speech. I heard … [Read more...] about Myrrl Byler: Playing basketball with bookworms
Elizabeth Gingerich: The trauma of leaving
Signing a letter of resignation can feel like signing a death warrant to your relationships I FIND IT hard to leave people. Take my current situation. Several weeks ago, I sat at my desk, looking at the resignation letter I was about to … [Read more...] about Elizabeth Gingerich: The trauma of leaving
Walt Walker: How Not to Quit Your Job
I FIRST MET Walt Walker when I was a junior at Malone College in Canton, Ohio. I was studying to be a teacher, and the requirements for an Ohio Teaching Certificate demanded I do ten weeks of student teaching. When I checked in at the front … [Read more...] about Walt Walker: How Not to Quit Your Job
Memoir: Tent Revivals, Wayward Husbands, and Chicken Dinners
AN OLD JOKE — A born-again Baptist dies and goes to heaven. He is met by St. Peter, who begins to show him the wonders of heaven: water of life, golden streets, personal mansion, a special pew in the heavenly choir. But something odd happens as … [Read more...] about Memoir: Tent Revivals, Wayward Husbands, and Chicken Dinners
Edna Sommers: “She was a mother to us all.”
WHENEVER WE APPROACH this time of year, I think of my first-grade classroom at Thanksgiving. The careful decorations, colorful construction paper cut into orange pumpkins bursting open, that Horn of Plenty with colorful fruit and fall vegetables … [Read more...] about Edna Sommers: “She was a mother to us all.”
Myrrl Byler: Why High School Teachers Are So Important
WE WERE 15 minutes into the root canal. The contraption inside my mouth, which isolated my back tooth, made it impossible to speak. Through a large headphone set, The Killers played in my ear. A rubber jam held my mouth open. I submitted to all … [Read more...] about Myrrl Byler: Why High School Teachers Are So Important
