Four decades back?? Oh my goodness!

I have many fond memories of high school and one that came to mind recently occurred because I have made a new friend who was a Biology teacher for 25 years.  I said that I loved Biology in high school.   I recounted how our teacher at that time was a Hindu Sikh man that we learned to adore...At the start though,  he led us astray the odd time with his pronounciation of words.  For one whole class we were trying to follow what he was saying. Being teenagers, we thought it was something about sex, but in reality he was saying insects....it sounded like "in sex"...He drank tea out of a beaker, so to us that was pretty cool. All the Hudson Bay types who were in highschool in the early 70's will know exactly who I am talking about, Mr. Inderjit Singh Claire.  I was sorry to hear from his daughter (who I found on Facebook) that he passed away some time ago.  May he rest in peace. He became an icon as far as I was concerned.

Another memory has to do with Physics class.  I didn't really like Physics, but distinctly remember one class where we learned about the effects of the strobe.  That was when I realized what a visual learner I am.  Mr. Tomski showed us what happens when a filmstrip is run and tries to capture something like a helicopter propellor in motion.  To this day, every time I see a fired up or flying helicopter on TV, I see that it isn't a smooth visual, but that the propeller is a choppy picture.  If you didn't know that, now you do and thus your physics lesson of the day! Don't ask me the physics behind that though, ha ha.  Here's your health lesson, this effect is seen in strobe lights at dances and events.  If too intense and certain individuals happen to be susceptible, it can cause ill effects such as seizures.

In Mr. Boyko's grade nine Algebra class, I was barely cracking a 60% because of an intense lack of interest.  I was not the only one, this attitude was pervasive amongst many of my class mates.  At one point though, Mr. Boyko put the fear of God into us about  an upcoming exam on the most difficult chapter in the whole course.  Permutations, Combinations and ?? I think it was Probabilities. I decided I'd better open the textbook and see what it was all about.  Well, what I found in reality was that I had to study my butt off.  Amazingly, when it came time for the exam, I pulled off a really excellent mark.  I had no idea that the rest of the class hadn't opened a book and that I would get the highest mark in the whole class.  Mr. Boyko brought it up in front of everyone and skeptically asked me how I did it.  I was dumbfounded, but quite proud of the fact that I wasn't as stupid as I thought, at least in that subject. Please note that I am a true blonde and forever take the brunt of blonde jokes.  Add to that the fact that my older brother, Lanny, was said to have a "block" to math and  his yearbook caption read, "he's the guy who scratches his head and gets splinters".  (No, he's not stupid either, he's a successful businessman it turns out).  I could have been instantly plunged to that "inner child" place of no self confidence...So I answered rather hesitantly, "I studied".  The other students looked at me like I had two heads, but in fact, from then on, I kind of enjoyed Algebra class.  I think Mr. Boyko had a new found respect for me, and I was suddenly elevated in my own mind. :-)  I always remembered that entire concept when teaching with my own students.  They'll do much better if they suceed early, feel good about themselves and can take ownership of their own learning.  Everybody does feel dumb and inadequate at times, but very few people really are.  There is book called A Child's Mistaken Goals that I read years ago.  Strange how our experiences in childhood and youth stand to colour the rest of our lives.

I'm rambling on, but surely somebody will be able to relate!