“Just think of a kangaroo!” the big-as-a-room-full-of-pillows woman chortled. “Then you will remember my name; it rhymes with kangaroo: Mrs. Ducroix!” I was enthralled with my third grade teacher from the instant I spotted her—all 250 pounds of her—my imagination was ignited and captured by the kangaroo imagery. After school, as I colored at the…
In mid 1990s middle school language, “frequent flyers” referred to the students who were frequently referred to the assistant principal for (what was deemed by a classroom teacher to be) inappropriate behavior. I was a middle school Language Arts teacher and team leader at this time and enrolled in graduate school pursuing my master’s degree….
“CMack’s Angels” used the vocal music annex for rehearsals. It contained a piano and risers; the students inevitably arrived before me. They gathered on the annex porch steps and loudly insulted one another. Overlapping accusations of “big head,” and “fake Nike,” and “butter teeth,” and “big juicy girl” could be heard by the neighbors across…
