A TEACHER I HAD ONE TIME... PART ONE- WHEN I GOT TO MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL, JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS OF WHAT IS NOW- LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA; IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER THE 5th GRADE SCHOOL YEAR STARTED. THE OLDER WOMAN- WHO WAS THE REGULAR TEACHER- TOOK ILL AND WAS REPLACED BY MR. LONG. WHEN WE FOUND OUT HE WAS ALSO A REVEREND; WE THOUGHT MAN, WE GOT IT MADE... W-R-O-N-G... HE WAS A FIRM BELIEVER IN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT (THE DREADED SWITCH...). THROUGHOUT THE DAY, IF YOUR NAME WENT UP ON THE BLACKBOARD (FOR SOME INFRACTION); THE NAMES ON THE LIST WAS MADE TO HEAD FOR THE BACK OF THE CLASSROOM (AT DAYS END). FOR EACH INFRACTION, YOU GOT A CHECKMARK BY YOUR NAME... ONE INFRACTION> ONE WHACK, TWO INFRACTIONS> TWO WHACKS, AND SO ON... ONE OF THE NAMES ON THE LIST WAS CHOSEN TO FETCH THE DREADED SWITCH. FOR THAT LOYALTY; YOU GOT AWARDED MINUS ONE CHECKMARK BY YOUR NAME. THAT WAS GREAT FOR THE CHECKMARKEE... FORE TOO LONG, THE UNLUCKY ONES ON THE LIST MADE A PACT ; ALWAYS GET A SMALLER-THAN-USUAL WEAPON OF DISCIPLINE... NOW, MR. REVEREND WAS NO FOOL... HE CAUGHT ON TO THAT CONSPIRACY IN A HURRY... HENCE; EXTRA WHACKS... I REMEMBER ONE TIME I PADDED MY BRITCHES WITH MORE THAN SEVERAL BROWN PAPER LUNCH BAGS (remember them ???) I GOT BUSTED, AND I THINK I GOT REWARDED WITH TWO EXTRA CHECKMARKS... MY NAME WAS FREQUENTLY WAS ON THIS LIST, AND I COULD FIND MY WAY BACK THERE BLIND-FOLDED... THERE, WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO BEND OVER... THE REVEREND WASNT SHY ABOUT ADMINISTERING JUDGMENT, EITHER... I OFTEN WONDER WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MR. LONG... PART TWO- MR. LONG MADE ME A BETTER MAN... YA KNOW, ID MORE THAN SURELY APPRECIATE IT IF SOME OF YOU GOOD FOLKS WOULD POST MY STORY ON YOUR WALL, AND SOMEONE MIGHT- JUST MAYBE - REMEMBER MR. LONG... ONE MORE STORY ABOUT MR. LONG... OUR FAMILY WAS POOR... WE DURN NEAR MOVED EVRY TIME THE RENT CAME DUE. SO, I STARTED 7th GRADE AT T.C. MILLER SCHOOL. CLASSROOM WAS THE LAST ONE ON THE RIGHT- UPSTAIRS. GUESS WHO MY TEACHER WAS ??? YOU GUESSED IT... THE REVEREND MR. LONG. ON ONE OF OUR CLASS OUTINGS, WE VISITED THE LURAY CAVERNS (VIRGINIA). AT THE END OF THE CAVERN TOUR, THE CLASS WAS MILLING AROUND (aint heard that phrase for awhile, huh ?) IN THE GIFT SHOP; BUYING SOUVENIRS, ETC., CEPT POOR ME... I WANDERED AROUND LOOKING IN THE SHOWCASES, ON THE RACKS... PRETENDING TO BE INTERESTED IN BUYING SOMETHING. I DIDNT HAVE SO MUCH AS A THIN DIME ON ME... THE KINDLY TEACHER MR. LONG MUST HAVE OBSERVED THIS, AND HE SIDLED UP TO ME, AND I FELT HIS HAND, DROP IN MY POCKET -AND EVER SO STEALTHINGLY- A HANDFUL OF COINS... HE THEN NONCHALANTLY WALKED AWAY... I WAS EMBARRASSED; BUT FAR MORE THAN THAT- I WAS SO GRATEFUL. YA KNOW- EVEN AFTER NEARLY 55 YEARS, I REMEMBER ALL THIS SO VIVIDLY. I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO FIND THIS MR. LONG ; SO I COULD SINCERELY THANK HIM, AND TELL HIM WHAT AN IMPRESSION & INFLUENCE HE HAD ON ME... THIS ONE ACT OF KINDNESS HAS MADE ME A BETTER MAN...
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 03:55:48 +0000
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