My first full year of teaching I learned a lot of things.  Mostly I learned from my students, though if I confess that now they might hunt me down and send me a bill for services rendered or tuition or however they would charge for having taught me.

That was the 1965-66 school year.  My teachers were third and fourth graders plus an hour a day of 9th & 10th graders (algebra).  I felt old, but was only 22, then had my 23rd birthday halfway through that school year.

One of my favorite games that year was Silence.  I came up with games to help us all survive.  “Silence begins when you cross that line.”  And they were silent after crossing that line.  At the time I figured it was because I had the best kids in the world.  I did.  But it was only a partial list because each year I got another batch of best kids.  By 1975 I must have used up all the best kids, so I retired from teaching.

A wonderful fact … I have students from that 65-66 year … all the way through to my last year of teaching as Facebook friends.  I love seeing their thoughts, their kids, grandkids.  But Facebook will be the subject of another musing.