Teaching Literature

September elicits memories of teaching. When I started as a teacher in Jeffco, it was January, 1961 and I took over a class of 7th graders for a teacher, who as a first year novice, grew homesick for Texas and left at Christmas.

Fortunately, the 7th graders had a two-period class, unlike the 8th and 9th, they had one period for instruction and one for study and homework.

The teacher they’d had was markedly lax in discipline and I am not. At first, they hated me. During the first week as I was reading to them from their literature books, they all simultaneously dropped their books on the floor!

Obviously, they expected me to explode so they could laugh at my expense. However, I glanced up briefly, then kept right on reading. To show who was in control, I gave a quiz at the end of the period. No more books were ever dropped!

My next strategy was to assign them in groups of 4 or 5 to write and perform skits based on the stories. Oh, this was fun!!

So then I was liked!

Wilma Gundy

Stock photo