Well, I’ve meandered quite far enough down Memory Lane this week with no bread crumb trail to find my way back. That’s all right. It’s given me time to survey the landscape ’round here and it’s … striking and not entirely uniform. There are bright spots and dark patches; lush, glittering greenery and parched, dusty desserts; teasing little critters and snarling, unseen beasts. I imagine your Memory Lane is similarly landscaped.
The Anchoress has got me in a bright spot right now, remembering teachers who read to me in grade school. Hers was a fourth grade teacher; mine was, too — my beloved Mrs. McGinty. She had a quavery voice, but it was strong and clear and I loved to hear her read. During reading time, with my head down on my desk, I felt safe and transported. Above all, I was certain she was reading just for me. And oh, those books! “Charlotte’s Web,” “Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle,” “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” short stories by Kipling, and on and on and on.
I remember especially, for months after Mrs. McGinty read “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” I dreamed about living in a museum with my brother, hiding in the bathroom stalls to avoid detection, sleeping in those perfect displays, doing everything a good little girl like me would never have done.
So I’m wondering …. did you have teachers who read to you? And what books read aloud to you left a lasting impression?
Ugh, my fourth grade teacher was MEAN. Then we had to have her for penmanship in 5th grade and spelling in 6th. I was always in trouble.
I don’t remember any teacher reading to us. But I do remember checking out Dr. Seuss books from the library, often.
I remember my 3rd grade teacher (Miss Johnson) reading “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” to us. After that I don’t remember which teachers read what, but many of the same books you mentioned were read to me as well (actually, I think all of them). Along with “Stuart Little”, some book about Ramona something, and probably some Roald Dahl as well.
My Dad always used to read to us too. Mostly Dr. Suess, I think.
For me, it wasn’t a teacher, per se, it was a camp counselor.
My Junior year in high school, I went to a church winter camp, and the camp director that year read The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis to us, and used it as the focal point of the teaching that week.
I had never heard of the Chronicles of Narnia, or C.S. Lewis (Did I mention that I grew up United Methodist? Youth group lessons based on Jethro Tull albums? Sure! Communion with goldfish crackers and grape soda? Absolutely! C.S. Lewis? Who?)
Anyway, that week I was transported into another world that I had no idea existed. After I got home, I found Out of the Silent Planet at the school library, and soldiered my way through it – I was a TERRIBLE, slow reader at the time.
I eventually read the entire Space Trilogy, the Chronicles, anything else by Lewis that I could get my hands on, then on to the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and beyond. (BTW, if you want to get really creeped out, read the work of Charles Williams, another of the Inklings. All Hallows Eve still makes me shudder!)
With each book, reading got easier, and thoughts and ideas that I had never imagined introduced themselves to me.
So, I guess you could say that because of John Blackwell, the camp director, I am now a voracious reader, and a truer, more solid servant of my Lord.
Thanks, John.
Oh, I am also slogging my way through the meme, and it should be up on my site by Thursday morning.
=]
Only book I remember my 4th grade teacher reading was The Phantom Tollbooth.
We’d go to the library once a week and then get to read the books we checked out.
I loved Nancy Drew, and the Beverly Cleary books. Henry and Beezus, Beezus and Ramona, Henry and Ribsy, etc. LOVED those books.
I almost went on to grad school to get a PhD in children’s lit because of my insane LOVE for it. So this is a genuine bright spot and joy to reply to.
In fifth grade I had the best little old lady teacher in the whole wide world, Mrs. Fletcher. (She was probably in her 40’s.) She was strict, respectful, intelligent and quiet. So of course I *HAD* to earn her approval.
She was the first teacher who recognized my talent as a writer and encouraged it. She also deeply understood how private I was about it. It was sort of our secret. We *got* each other, if that makes sense. I don’t think I could have respected a teacher any more than I did her.
She chaired the “Literature Team”. There were 21 books to read (all Newberry Award Winners), a quiz for entrance onto the team, and practice every week for the quiz tournament that would take place in the fall — the team who answered the most questions correctly would win. All the local elementary schools competed with one another for the title. I, of course, was captain of our team. I didn’t read *every* book on the list, but almost all of them.
The BEST thing about this was that each week at the end of practice, whoever had the highest score got to pick out a book to KEEP. She had this whole big crate of books to choose from. I had been eyeing the thickest one for a couple of weeks (this was back when “The Hobbit” was the thickest book I had ever read) but was afraid to take it. It looked like the grand prize of all books and I didn’t want to be presumptuous.
Finally, after I had beat the pants off the rest of the team, it was again my turn to choose. I asked meekly if I could have the thick one. It was “The Yearling” by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings; not a mere Newberry — a Pulitzer.
I’ve read it about 100 times. I still have that ragged copy under lock and key in my hope chest, and an out of print copy on my bookshelf at home.
Thanks, T.
I’m afraid I don’t remember teachers reading to me. I was too involved with reading to myself. Sorry.
-M@
I LOVED to be read to. The first “teacher” I remember reading to us, was our principal, Mr. Nuttycomb. He introduced the entire elementary school to Uncle Remus, and would keep us on the edge of our seats with tales of Brer Rabbit and the Tar baby…”whatever you do, don’t throw me into no briar patch!” I can still hear his accent, he had different voices for each of the characters, he was GOOD!
Another teacher who read to us was our fifth grade teacher at Christian school, Mrs. Bourasa…she read the Chronicles of Narnia, but not nearly fast enough, she’d get to a really good part, then stop for the day! ARGH…we’d have to check out the books and read them for ourselves, sinister, huh?
Lyn — Mr. Nuttycomb? What a name. That’s priceless. A while back, a woman I know told me that once a week, she volunteered to read to her kid’s third grade class. She was reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
“But,” she said, “I SKIP OVER the parts where Lewis gets too wordy.”
(Emphasis added for extra horror!)
I really wanted to hit her.
And dear M@ — Are you saying, sadly, that no teacher ever read to you, OR are you saying merely that you were inattentive when they did? 😉
Say perhaps that she was only on page 53 of a book while you were in your seat, sighing in frustration because you had the same book hidden in your lap and were secretly reading from page 96? 😉
Yes, Mr. Nuttycomb…best out loud reader in the world!
SHE SKIPPED OVER LEWIS! For shame! I can’t believe she had the nerve to ADMIT it!
in fifth grade mrs.buck read “through gates of splendor” and “the hiding place”
both of them had an impact on my perceptions of what “christian” meant and where i fit into that word.
i have always wanted to be like Corrie Ten Boom (roll the “r”s shortly, and the double “oo” is a long “o” sound — in case you ever wondered) and it has been one of my greatest thrills to visit her home in Haarlem, Holland on several occasions, to have the image from my childhood mind meet up with the reality of “the hiding place.”
the last part of the book, in which she talks of her ministry to war victims and agressors – and specifically where she meets up with a prison guard who was brutal with corrie and her sister, never fails to give me shivers, goosebumps, and a sense of hope and awe at what God may accomplish with a person who allows him to have his way. one of the most inspiring stories ever!
thank you mrs.buck
ooooh! mrs piggle wiggle! i have the whole set of those! and roald dahl. and the wizard of oz series – did you know there are 47 of them??? island of the blue dolphins, lord of the flies, tom sawyer, a seperate peace, the once and future king.
ah, books! where would i be without them!
Mrs. Worley, 3rd grade, Gullet Elementary, Austin TX. the early ’60s.
She read “Charlotte’s Web” every year and it was okay for everyone to cry at the end, even the boys.
Amanda Sue – I’m a little bit horrified at the thought of elementary school children being read Lord of the Flies. Please tell me you read that when you were older, or you meant Lord of the Rings, or something!
And T – well, let’s just say that I did have a book in my lap. Frequently. I figure some teacher must have read to me at some point, but I can’t think of any specifics now. I had my love of reading developed when I was very young. Like before kindergarten young. So maybe that’s why I don’t remember people reading to me? It just wasn’t as big of a deal to me? I don’t know, I think I’m coming across as a jerk now, and I don’t know how to fix that.
Dang.
-M@