Since I have no teaching stories to share this year, I thought it would be fun to share a gem of a story that we ran across while reading some letters to my Grandmother, who was a teacher in a one room schoolhouse in West Virginia. This story came in the form of a letter from one of her students.
Dear May,
In this world of growing up and going to school I am sure everyone has memories to treasure. Some are fond and some not so fond. Some are funny and others not so funny. I have one that hinges between funny and disastrous.
This little bit of memorabilia happened at High Rock School on Kesner Mountain. I, being a growing boy and having an appetite like a horse, became hungry well before lunch time. Knowing there was a fresh slice of chocolate pie in the top drawer of my lunch pail temptation got the best of me and I proceeded to remove it in preparation of an early snack.
No sooner had I secured it from my pail then I noticed my school teacher, namely May Kesner, proceeding my way. In desperation, I put the slice of pie on the top of the school bench behind me. By that time May had arrived and proceeded to park her backside smack dab on top of my pie.
Needless to say, my slice of chocolate pie had become squashed and glued to the backside of her skirt. After a few kind words to me stating that I had been a bit noisy, she walked back up front to her desk. As she made her way back to her desk the chocolate pie was depositing itself on the floor in spatters. Everyone in school was bursting a the seams with laughter - except May and I, who was scared half to death. After our teacher asking numerous students what was so funny and receiving no answer, she finally gave us all two minutes to laugh at the end of which time total silence was demanded. We didn't waste a second of it!
Well, May, if you can forgive me for messing up your skirt, I can stand the loss of a delicious slice of chocolate pie.
From your friend,
Norman
