to Mrs. McCurdie (continued)

This is the backdrop upon which my fourth grade year was unfolding...

Our teacher, Mrs. McCurdie, was nearing retirement in 1991 and had been born and raised in Conrad, MT where she now taught. Looking back, through my own lens as a 21st century educator, I am impressed by just how “ahead of the times” she was as a practitioner. How does one manage to be forward thinking in a community that seems to be always digging in its heels and leaning backwards?


A few things I remember about Mrs. McCurdie’s class: 

  1. Each week she gave us a photocopy of a new cursive letter, written in thick black marker. The gigantic single letter filled the page. Our task was to turn the letter into something new. We could rotate the page any direction we liked. Add crayon or watercolor, marker or chalk. At the end of the week, she displayed our art. Compared to the other bulletin boards lining the hallway with identical, follow-the-direction crafts, our class’s masterpieces stood as glowing examples of our individual gifts and identities. Something she honored in a million small ways daily.

  2. We wrote letters to soldiers who were fighting in the Gulf War. It’s hard to imagine in our now-polarized world, but the experience felt completely apolitical. Many of the children in our class had uncles, cousins, mothers who had been sent to fight. The letters taught us the power of words to process our fears and insecurities, to share love and comfort.

  3. She never raised her voice. She demanded our best, always. She ran a tight ship, without an ounce of fear.


to be continued…

Comments

  1. ShawndastoriesMarch 8, 2023 at 7:28 AM

    Sounds like a wonderful teacher! I love the language you use to describe her as "forward thinking in a community that seems to be always digging in its heels and leaning backwards."

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 8, 2023 at 12:32 PM

    She sounds like the kind of teacher we all aspire to be! Fantastic slice!

    ReplyDelete

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