Miss Callard was my first grade teacher in Warren, Ohio. She was young, tall, and fun. She taught 30 kids at a time, and I don't remember her ever raising her voice. She never had to. She was fair, but expected the best work from her students.
I was a very shy first grader. I sat in my assigned seat and turned in my very best work at all times. I must have been pretty sharp because Miss Callard would allow me to help others with their work after mine was turned in. I guess I could be labeled, "Teacher's Pet". (Note: Teacher's Pets are born that way. They are to be differentiated from "Brown-nosers" who deliberately act a certain way to gain favor. Teacher's Pets are usually shy and very helpful to their fellow-students. Just FYI from one who knows.)
I remember one day when we were handed another mimeographed coloring page. "Color the squares brown" "Color the circles yellow" "Color the trees green" etc. We used big, fat crayons back then, and I was tired of coloring these boring work sheets. My brown crayon was broken, so I just placed it on its side and colored from one square down to the next square. There were four squares to color and I colored them all in two downward swipes. I just wanted to get this busywork done and get to some really fun stuff - like reading or something.
The next day, Miss Callard handed out all the stuff we had turned in the day before. Paper after paper came back to me with "-1 good!" "-0 Great!" "-2 Good Job!" I looked at them each and waited eagerly for the next one. Yes, even back then, I was goal-oriented. I liked the stickers, too! It was then that Miss Callard walked up to my desk and bent down really low to look me in the eye.
"Melissa! I can't believe you did this! We do not color from one square down to the next without lifting the crayon! I expect better from you!"
My favorite teacher was chastizing me for my laziness.
There you have it. A very important lesson imparted to me in first grade. It is as clear today as it was waaaaay back then. Never do less than your best.
Thanks, Miss Callard.
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I had a similar incident, involving drawing a tree. My teacher instructed us to draw a tree using crayons. Everyone grumbled over all the browns and greens being taken. Meanwhile I grabbed yellow and red and gray. I drew my tree, turned it in, and waited for my gold star. I didn't get a star. My teacher told me all trees have brown trunks and green leaves and instructed me to do the assignment again. You know what that taught me? That an imagination is not ok. That it's not ok to think outside the box. That conformity is the only true way. I didn't draw anything again. Ever. It devastated me. You were NOT being lazy. You were thinking beyond the lines, seeing that not everything fits in a neat little package. I agree not to do less than your best, but your response to the assignment was not laziness rather excitement for something more meaningful. Sometimes teachers have no idea what they do to us. Words are powerful.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I never thought of it that way. Being in first grade, when Miss Callard took the time to tell me that I colored the squares "wrong", I thought she KNEW that I had been rushing to get done. The truth of the matter is, I had not wanted to do the assignment, and I colored those boxes as fast as I could because I did not want to take the time to do it. I thought she was omniscient in some way, and had somehow "read my mind".
ReplyDeleteYou, however, were being creative. Perhaps because of your teacher's thoughtless comment,she pushed you into being an excellent writer instead of (perhaps) a mediocre artist.
Am I seeing the glass as half-full again? ;)