Beyond the Lesson Plans

The start of another academic year marks time with the consistency of my grandmother’s cuckoo clock.

The reminders aren’t subtle. Stores stock extra aisles of school supplies and friends bombard social media with cute first day of school photos. I love the reminders. I love the freshness of new tablets and pencils. I love the wonder of learning something new. I love remembering the impact of great teachers.

The teachers with long lasting impact taught me things that were not in their lesson plans.

Mrs. Koch was my first grade teacher. I loved her even before she moved me to the blue birds reading group with the best readers of the class. Our classroom was in the heat of south Texas in the mid 1960’s before public schools were air conditioned. A whirring fan oscillated connected to an extension cord that ran across the floor from the teacher’s desk to the side of the room. A few weeks into the school year, Mrs. Koch called the names of each child to walk up to her desk and collect a paper she had graded. When I heard my name, I walked to her desk with squared shoulders, anticipating the good grade that would be on my paper. “I JUST told you NOT to walk over that power cord!” Her reprimand reached deep into the corners of my emotional being which already craved approval of authority figures. I was not listening when she gave that safety precaution. I didn’t care about the safety lesson and Mrs. Koch may have even felt a twinge of guilt for yelling when she saw my crushed spirit. But she never knew the lesson on the importance of listening that I learned that day.

In seventh grade, I was at the peak of my knowledge. Yes, I knew everything. So at lunch one sunny day, my friend, Lisa, and I decided we didn’t need to attend afternoon classes. In those days, we were allowed to leave campus to go home for lunch.  Sometimes we went home and sometimes we went to the corner store to spend our lunch money on chips and candy. On this day, we rode our bikes downtown to go shopping at a local clothing store named “Topper’s.” We laughed as we took clothes into the dressing room to try on, without speculation that we might be missed back in Mrs. Huge’s homeroom class. Imagine my surprise when my mom came home from work and asked me where I had spent the afternoon. My lesson from playing hooky in seventh grade was simple. I don’t know it all.

Fast forward to my senior year in high school. I had a weird mix of classes. My Math and English classes were for university bound students. But I had not yet decided to go to college and I wanted to manage more hours at my part-time job. So I signed up for the school’s work program to get credit for working. Enter Mr. Harold Womble, teacher of the work study class and expert on how to do life. Mr. Womble introduced me to the cash envelope method of budgeting. I used it as an 18 year old bride a week out of high school. It helped us get through our college years on our two part-time jobs. As life grew more comfortable, I let go of the cash envelope method and began electronic tracking of our spending. But I would bring the envelope method back when I struggled to stay within a particular budget category. In my 40’s I tended to need it for “Home Décor” and I’m currently using it for “Dining Out.” Seeing my cash slip away makes me think harder before spending. Thank you, Mr. Womble, for that envelope wisdom.

I love the proverb that promises

Start children off on the way they should go,

and even when they are old

they will not turn from it. [Proverbs 22:6 NIV]

The writer was advising parents to teach their children to love God and His commandments. I think this scripture also describes well the pattern of teachers with their students.

So all you teachers out there, I know you work hard to prepare and teach the material of your subject areas. But know that there are thousands of other little pushes in the right direction that you give your students every year. And some of these little lessons will stick forever like mine have.

1.              Listen up.

2.              Don’t think you know it all.

3.        Stop spending when the envelope is empty.