Did You Hear About My Favorite/Least Favorite Teacher?

Archie Brown grew to love the teacher that had been his least favorite.

I got word on Monday that my 9th grade Algebra teacher had passed away. I was saddened, because Mrs Lovett had come to be a big influence on my life, even though I only saw her a half dozen times over the past 30 or 35 years. But I did not realize how much I appreciated her till I was leaving a comment on deorre's blog about teacher's today.

Mrs. Lovett was not the sweet and gentle type. She was direct and strict in her classroom. If someone was not paying attention in her classroom, she might stop by and give them a few seconds dry shampoo to remind them she was trying to teach. Chewing gum was absolutely forbidden in Mrs. Lovett's class.

One day I had to go to the dentist to have the septum between my two front teeth removed. When the surgery was over, the wound was packed with a plaster-type material that dried hard and was the color of bubble gum. It covered about half my front teeth as well as the gumline. I was sent back to school, just in time for Algebra.

I had only been in my chair a couple of minutes when Mrs. Lovett called me by name and told me I needed to make a deposit in the trash can. I begged her pardon, I did not know what she was talknig about. She said, "Do you think I cannot see the gum you are trying to hide in the front of your mouth?" I said, "Mrs. Lovett, that is not gum, I just came from the dentist." She was unconvinced, and had me come to her desk and open my mouth. She proceeded to tap on the plaster and she was not tender! But she did dismiss me back to my seat.

Mrs. Lovett's favorite saying was, "the tiny drops of water and the tiny grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land." She wanted us to pay attention to the little details in our math, and in our lives. I have used that quote in so many situations in my own life.

And I have used it often in raising my daughters. One application was in the first basic decisions about thier morality. If the first decisions made are to be modest, she would be more likely to create a "pleasant land" of purity in her life. But if the first decisions are less honorable, she may end up washed away in a "mighty ocean" of immorality. The foundation laid early in life is so vital. Like Mrs. Lovett I love to try to lead young people to make sound judgments.

Allie Lovett taught me a lot more than Algebra!

Subscribe to spinayarn