David Dixon:  

Time for an update: After teaching 4 years at Memorial Middle School, I have been teaching for 3 years at Seneca High School. Between a smaller school, a smaller town, older students, and smaller classes, it is better for me in every way. Seneca is different, though; I am considered really uncool because I don't fish or hunt. (not that I've really been considered cool any other place or time). The prom dress code included this: "no dirty or ragged cowboy hats. Dress cowboy hats are acceptable." Hmmm. Margaret Johnson, one of our art teachers (Mrs. Wildman) substitutes now and then in Seneca. We have chatted a few times, and it's always fun. Folks, we had some really unconventional teachers in our day. In my 7 years of teaching, I've not run across many teachers as crazy as Bill Hall, as fun-loving as Gay Straw and Margaret Johnson, as bizarre as Wildman, as quirky as Lurch, or as relevant as Mike O'Rourke (Modern Poetic Phrase, indeed! Neither a class like that, nor our other elective English classes would be acceptable now, as educators focus on improving "standards"). I have written to Coach O'Rourke this year, and Max Byrd a few years ago, expressing thanks for their investment in me as a student and as a person. They each made school a better place for me. I received a nice response from both of them. If you've ever thought of contacting one or more of your old teachers, I would highly recommend that you do it; they were both thankful for my nice words, and grateful to be fondly remembered. As a teacher now, myself, I can tell you that I would be absolutely thrilled to have a former student contact me and thank me for investing in them. There is a poster in many teachers' collections that says "They may not remember what you said, but they ...Expand for more