The Challenge! Your favorite teacher (all schools) and why?!

I am not ashamed to admit I was a pretty average student with occassional flashes of potential that were quickly extinguished by sports, other outdoor activities, and just living a great life.

As you can see from the title of this post we have been invited to consider who our favorite teacher(s) are from each school we attended. School was not high on my list of things that held my attention for long. Though there were a few teachers who could keep me interested for short periods of time and I count each of them among my favorites.

Shelledy Elementary school is where I attended Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. I remember my Kindergarten teacher, vaguely, and to be completely accurate I don't remember my 2nd grade teacher at all (my apologies to both). I do remember Mrs. Kasparik (might have C as first letter) for two reasons; first - she is the teacher who taught me to read, and second - her husband was a musician who primarily played the piano in clubs and bars (we learned this when he came and performed for the school). He also had a knife scabbard, with a knife in it, sewn into his boot and it was clearly visible as he played for us that day. He was really interesting to the group of 6 year old boys that were my friends and that made her all the more interesting, by association. Back to reading, I have always enjoyed reading. In school my choices were not that different from what I read today. Lots of action with occassional mystery and intrigue. She opened the world to me by providing me the foundation of alphabet, simple words, sentence structure, grammar, and spelling that are manifest in my writing today. What a way to change a life.

Fruita Elementary School was next. Here I attended 3rd through 6th grade. Mr, Yount, Mr. Johnston, and Mr. Linn all had profound influence on me in different ways. Mrs. Nagel, and Mrs. Jones also contributed richly to my life in those years. They all reinforced many of the moral lessons I was learning at home in addition to helping me learn the history, social studies, science, language, and other teaching that occured there. Mr. Yount was my favorite of all even though he was only there for my 3rd grade year. He was the P.E. teacher and he devised many ways to wear me and my friends out so we could settle down in the classroom and learn the more important things our classroom teachers were trying to teach. He also taught us how to play fairly and give everyone on the playground an opportunity to participate, which at this age is important. He also taught us that competitive sports are a good thing and we should participate if inclined to do so. What a good man, and a good teacher.

Fruita Junior High School came next; 7th through 9th grade. Two teachers stand out in my memory here. Ms. McKenzie (sp?), and Mr. Webster. Ms. McKenzie taught 7th grade science and, while I did not excel at the subject, she kept me engaged every day. In fact I looked forward to her class each morning of that year. I did struggle a bit mid-year with whatever topic we were studying and she let me know she noticed the struggle and wanted to help by having me come in early several mornings a week for some extra assistance. I think this is the best thing she could do for me. I don't think I understood how much those men and women who make this career choice care about the children in their charge - until then. It made me want to do better, and work harder - and that ultimately paid off with a pretty good grade.
Mr. Webster was my 9th grade science teacher. He was quite a character in the classroom. There was no question he wouldn't ask - even if it meant embarassing himself or anyone else in the classroom. He really only had two rules relating to classroom management the first was never, ever speak without him calling on you, and never, ever (and I cannot emphasize this enough) chew grape flavored gum in his classroom. He would even stop you if you walked past his classroom in the hallway and have you spit out grape flavored gum. He taught me that learning could be fun. His was another class that I looked forward to each day of that year. Learning was enjoyable and I had a great time in his care.
Fruita Monument High School came next; 10th through 12th grade. A lot of teachers influenced me here but two stand out. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Shepard. Mr. Thomas taught math at FMHS; he was the second teacher to really challenge my lazy study habits. He reached out to me early in the year to get me back on track by explaining that if I wanted to keep my grade up I could not fall behind with my work. He, the same as Ms. McKenzie, pulled me in early several days a week to make sure I understood what had been taught the day before. He double checked my work and explained where I had gone wrong with my effort. He lead me to double and even triple check my work to make certain I had it figured out. His class was usually very fast paced and I learned from him to always ask questions when I failed to understand. He was also the varsity boys basketball coach the freshman year so we interacted some on the basketball court as well. Please do not mis-understand, I was not on that team - sophomore and JV ball that year.
Mr. Shepard taught history - I had him for an American history and a World history class in different years plus, he taught a political comparison class that I really enjoyed. Mr. Shepard's influence on me was that, because of his utilization of outside materials I learned to look for learning opportunities everywhere. He opened my eyes to possible sources in print that I had not considered before. Newspapers, weekly and monthly publications, and personal accounts from those who had been there.

Others over the years have influenced me in various ways, I hope that none are offended by my imperfect memory of events and people. All teachers should be thought of fondly by those whose lives they touched - I know that my teachers are all remembered in this way. Thanks to each of you whether mentioned here or not. I am who I am because of your contribution to my education. And that is a good thing. Who knows how I might have turned out without your influence on my life?

More to come soon. Thanks for checking in.

The challenge! Childhood remembrances.

My sweetheart and daughters who have blogs occassionally invite one another to participate in what they call a "Blog Challenge". One of them (in this case Stefanie - "A Day in the Life of the Griffiths") recently invited them to write over the next few weeks about several different topics. They all decided that I should be included in the invitation so here I am again. We'll see how this attempt goes before determining to take on all four topics.

What is your earliest childhood memory is the current topic. I have carefully considered this all weekend and have had many different remembrances in mind for today, though I confess that I am not sure on the specific timing regarding any of them or if any would qualify for the actual earliest.

I have vague recollections of what must have been very dark days for my parents when my younger brothers were born and never made it home from the hospital. I also remember when my brother who did survive (Mitchell Darrin Mahan) did come home. While these are probably my earliest childhood memories they are very fuzzy and I just remember the excitement that was in the house with the new arrival and the sadness at the loss.

I also thought about a woman who I remember vividly from when my tonsils were removed. We always called her Grandma Sheetz. I can tell you she was wheelchair bound (I don't know why) and had the whitest hair and the brightest smile I had ever seen in my young life. I cannot tell you her real name to this day, but I remember her joyful attitude when she came into the room and how good she made me feel on that first visit and many other visits we had both in the hospital over those few days and later in her home as she proved to be a very good family friend.

I remember living across the street from the local Chief of Police (Richard Walker) when we lived on Laura Street in Fruita, Colorado. He was a very intimidating man to a young boy - I think he enjoyed the reputation of being a mean grumpy man. He and his wife had two full size dachshund dogs that were as grumpy as he seemed to be. He appeared to be a cigar smoker, though I don't recall ever seeing one lighted. He appeared to just chew on them - constantly.

I also considered writing about the two little girls that lived down the street that became good childhood friends. We played together in their yard (they had great trees for climbing) and in our yard whenever Dad had the sprinkler on in the front yard. Running through that cold water as the grass was being watered was a very fun time in my young childhood days. I no longer remember their names but I remember when their family moved away we all were saddened at the loss.

My Aunt Elsie and Uncle Tommy also played a major role in my young life and I have many fond memories of their home in Fruita and the many visits, family dinners, and other important events that ocurred during those years. I drove past their home in Fruita recently and noticed that many of the improvements they made to the yard and exterior of that property are still in place and appear to be well maintained. It seems a lot smaller today than I remember.

Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, my brother, the family pets, and many many friends make up the memories that I have of my young life. They all happened so long ago that I cannot narrow it down to which clear memory is the earliest. I think they all happened about the same time and make up only a small part of a wonderful childhood growing up in the western part of Colorado.

Thanks for tuning in. More to come soon.

Random thoughts on life.

I am learning that I should post here more often. This is just the second time I have made the attempt and finding something of value to share here is quite the mental exercise. There are many things on my mind that could be shared I'm just not sure that anything I might share is worth the time of anyone who might read these thoughts.
Yesterday was Mothers Day and we had a good day together (Cindy and I). A lazy start to the day with a very slow pace all day. Over all the years we had children in the home I did not always appreciate this holiday and never gave it the thought or effort that would adequately express to the funniest (and most fun) woman I know exactly what my feelings for her are. So yesterday was an opportunity for me to make the day a little more special than it has been in years past. Without a lot of detail I just want to put it out there that yesterday was a little more special. A nicer gift was shared with my sweetheart, a lot more thought and effort was put in to planning the meals and other activities of the day. Resulting in Mrs. Mahan (Cindy) having the reminder that my feelings for her run deep, and my greatest desire is for her to be happy.

In Nicholas Sparks "The Notebook" he gives expression to my feelings in a way that I cannot,

"You are my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together."

"We fell in love, despite our differences, and once we did, something rare and beautiful was created. For me, love like that has only happened once, and that's why every minute we spent" (spend) "together has been seared in my memory. I'll never forget a single moment of it."

Upcoming events in the lives of the Mahan family have me thinking about the love that develops between a man and a woman that leads them to make a commitment to one another. Kelli will be getting married in a few weeks. We are very happy for them. I have observed her and Tyler over the years they have spent getting to know each other and have several thoughts to share here. Their relationship is the catalyst that has brought me here but the observations have stretched over a little over a decade of daughters and son dating and falling for and in love with those they have married (or will marry).

In "The Four Loves" C.S. Lewis wrote,

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

As my children have begun to have the experience of dating and seeking to find someone to love, it has been my observation that they do become very vulnerable. Most of them have finally come to the realization that they should be good friends with someone before the romantic aspect of love should be explored. Some of them are still trying to figure out how to be friends with the one they have fallen in love with. Both roads are not easy, but the latter is the more difficult.

In "My Sisters Keeper" (no I have not read this - just love the quote) Jodi Picoult writes,

"You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not."

Only one has walked perfectly on this earth. We all have foibles and weakness and selfish natures. Sometimes it takes another to help us grow out of weakness into strength. Each of our children have had to overcome obstacles in their relationships. Sometimes of their own creation and sometimes that of their partner or another outside influence. I think all (including their dad) have grown in ways that are remarkable and each have gone down paths that are unfamiliar to me and have shown a resolve and strength that tell me that their Mother has done a great job schooling them and preparing them for life.

I'm done for now. You will find more new here soon. Thanks for dropping in.