School days

rather been somewhere else, but overall I enjoyed school.

I enjoyed the idea of being in a crowd. I guess being from a large

family just helped me be comfortable in a crowd.

I liked the camaraderie of classmates and teachers. With the

exception of one teacher when I was in second grade, I always

got along with my teachers. I also respected them.

There are always those special teachers in our lives who stick in

our hearts and minds. I have already shared one of those teachers

with you. Now I would like to share another.

I can still see him, his small stature and big smile. He was one

of those teachers I loved to be around, yet a little fearful of if I didn't

have my homework finished.

He taught math, but you never knew when you got to his class if

you were going to have math lessons or Missouri history lessons.

He loved Missouri history, and it showed each time he would delve

into it. There were a couple times we had math tests scheduled,

but he was in the mood for sharing Missouri history.

I don't know how the other students felt; but to me, when he started

talking about Missouri, the whole state just came alive. I remember

closing my eyes and his words about Missouri were as though

they were on a movie screen flowing in front of me. His passion

for Missouri was that great. What an interesting teacher.

This particular teacher was also known for his "board of education".

For those of you who were in my class, I'm sure you recognize this

teacher by now.

His board of education was not a group of people. No siree. It was

a board with a hole in it. He always made sure it was in plain sight.

If he felt you were acting up or not performing up to par, he "applied

his board of education" to you. The funny thing was that most of the

time when he applied it, the receivers were normally taller than he was.

Although I was not and still am not good in math, I attribute whatever success I had in math to this great teacher. My hats off to all teachers who make learning not only a must, but also interesting the way Mr. Frank Gibbons did.

See ya next time in the Korner. E-mail me at kdover28.gmail.com or text me at 573-820-2404.