Memories of HIgh School English Class

Written by my son for a Facebook entry about his English frustrations.

“If there was one class I totally despised in High School, it was English.

Man! I hated English ~ and to this day, I am incapable of enjoying Shakespeare.

“Although I passed Mrs. Vosburgh's Grade 9 English, one of the guidance councellors, Mrs. Loveland, talked me into spending my lunch hours doing some remedial English in hopes that I may do better in Grade 10 English. As incredibly patient as Mrs. Loveland was, with my frustration, I didn't see wasting my lunch hours on this, as having a tangible value.

“In Grade 10, we did Taming of the Shrew in Mrs.Kuzcharczyk's English class ~ and I acted out a scene with Harvia Gray ~ and that was nice. But I sure couldn't understand the English class as a whole, so I made up the blessed thing in summer school, despite the fact that my Grade 9 English teacher (Mrs. Vosburgh) had told me in advance that Mrs. K. was a really pleasant and a good teacher.

“In Grade 11, I had Mr. Nelson and we did Macbeth...I totally bombed his class! And I made the blessed thing up, again in summer school in, during which time, we did To Kill a Mockingbird.

This was one English class novel, I not only finished (but imagine this), 'actually enjoyed'!

In Grade 12, we studied Hamlet with Mr. Angel. Fortunately, a friend of my Mom's, who is a High School English teacher (I wish I could have had her as my teacher) summarized the story for me at our dinner table one evening ~ and then I had a vague understanding of it. I liked Mr. Angel, but I still failed this class ~ and again, went to summer school to gain the credit!

My Guidance councellor, Mr. Hokanson, advised me

not to take Grade 13 English ~ and I concluded this was Good Guidance!

“I had a great High School friend who liked reading. Even after graduating Grade 12, he returned to take Grade 13 Advanced English...just for fun. Some people, it seems, enjoy this sort of thing. Sadly, my best High School friend, James Totten, died from a chronic heart condition back in 1988, so he isn't on Facebook as I am. He, nor I, even knew what Facebook was in those years.

“I suppose I could navigate High School English class now, but still cannot do Shakespeare!!!

If alien invaders offered to spare my life if I could prove that I was intelligent

by interpreting Shakespeare ~ they would so kill me!”

Today, I remind my son that not all students

are academically English-oriented readers or essayists.

It wasn't until University days, that he discovered he had a talented flair for writing.

My son and I have long shared an understanding:

“It's always easy ~ when you know how!”

He graduated from university with a degree in Computer Science.

At the time of this foregoing writing to me, he was working in Manhattan's Financial District.

For you,  Dear Son, I enclose a MUTT's Valentine cartoon:

His master is taking him (on a long leash lead) along a parkland sidewalk.

Mutts turns to his trusty human, saying,

"I wouldn't wish any companion in the world...but You!"

(Quote by William Shakespeare ~ The Tempest) 

Memory Glimpses Back to My High School Years

Readers, you may recall from a few of my writings, that being raised on a farm,

I attended Burford's Maple Public School and Burford District High School.

Recalling even small events, it was these that triggered both growth and frustration

through the 'ups and downs' of my teen-age learning years.

Actually, High School education to me was a 'Sink or Swim' situation. Intending to Swim, I know now that these 5 years taught us aspects of life with 'gates of opportunity' ...a wide choice of subject studies...and teachers in specified fields of their knowledge. Of strong Christian principles, my parents forbad dancing, movies, alcohol, 'hanging out' or partying after school hours.

In no logical order, these 'flashes of memory' I share with you.

A greater distance to the High School, Dad provided bicycles for my sister and me ~ the main reason, however, was intended for us to return home for lunch ~ in lieu of social contact we'd have with not only the girls, but mainly the 'boys' during that 55-minute break before afternoon classes. Of course, immediately at 4 p.m. we were expected to return home. For Grade 10 students through Grade 13, once a month following afternoon classes, social dancing was taught in the gym. Jim Schofield, an ardent friend of my sister's, would attend, then drive her home. She begged me to inform our parents that she was in the library, researching. Then when Jim drove her home, had to deposit her a distance from our farm along Hwy. 53 so my parent(s) would not observe her deception. Even a neighbouring boy, Paul Hrynku, fond of my sister, was never allowed to 'visit' so was never in our house.

Teasingly and joking with church friends, my father often stated,

I'll soon have to sit on the front porch with a shotgun!

One of my best friends, Margaret Templer, invited me to attend Girl Guides with her at the local Anglican Church Parish Hall. I was forbad because WE attended the local Baptist Church.

My sister, Eileen, invited to act in a High School drama with practices

following the daily classes ~ our parents OK'd it, after first reading the play.

,

One morning, a student in my High School class had caught a 'cottonwood snake'

near Whiteman's Creek and wanted to show us this 4-foot reptile. I was terrified!

In Grade 12, we studied a Shakespeare play and to heighten our interest, 2 English teachers had hired a school bus to view the movie version in Brantford's Capitol Theatre. I was not allowed to go ~ reason being, because it was in a 'movie theatre', it would be supporting the 'ills of Hollywood'!!!

My teacher of interest was Miss (Lily) Travis who taught Grade 13 history at Brantford Collegiate Institute. A quaint little woman, with always a smile and horn-rimmed glasses... relating well with her students... always began her class with a personal antidote. Her home was a small white cottage, not far from where I lived. In June one day, she related that her challenge was planting flowers on the south side of her home, the summer heat killed all her attempts. Her favourite flowers, hollyhocks, which she loved for their height and colourful blooms...so it was these, she so proudly planted the previous year. Again in June of the current year, she told of her hollyhocks and her enjoyment of them.

One day in mid-June, I walked past her cottage abode

and there they were, so brightly coloured ~ painted on her cottage's south side!

My greatest achievement in Grade 13, was not the academic success ~ it was a lengthy novel I read while walking the distance from my home in north Brantford to the Collegiate downtown on Brant Avenue. Gone With the Wind I'd heard about ~ and incited I was to read the many, many pages... unknowing that soon it would be a movie to be seen in local theatres.

 Fortunately, I didn't trip over curbs!

Scripted by Merle Baird-Kerr...February 9, 2019

Your views appreciated: mbairdkerr@bell.net or inezkate@gmail.com