Our catch phrase is on its way.
Dear Fellow Earthlings, I turned 11 years of age on January 10, 1959. My 6th grade teacher was soon-to-turn-42 Roy Lee. Finally I was in a classroom taught by a male! Not only was Mr. Lee a male, but he had actually played major league baseball, pitching for the New York Giants (albeit only for a period of 7 days in late September of 1945)! All of my teachers, including the ones who came in only for a day or two per week to teach art or music, had all been female until I met Mr. Lee. He was a father figure for me. I was impressed that he could be praising me for my polished recitation skills one minute and then be scolding me for not being active enough in sports the next! He was challenging me to be more than just a “brainy” kid. I was so surprised when he told us that the first thing we needed to do was to elect a class president. Then he proceeded to have each of us stand up and say: 1) whether we were interested in the position or not, and 2) what we would do to help make our class better if we were elected as class president! A good half of the kids in class just stood up and said that they did not want to be considered as candidates for the position. But I, along with 6 or 7 other of the 28 or so students in class, stood up and gave what amounted to speeches saying why we thought we should be elected class president. I thought that with my stellar scholastic record I would be elected, but I did not place even in the top three. Furthermore, the winner of the election was someone who had only a few days earlier transferred to Caseyville Elementary School – and was a girl to boot! Her name was Tracy Middleton and she had a wonderful air about her. After we had elected Tracy, Mr. Lee said, “This could be the beginning of something great! Someday Tracey might even become President of the United States!” What an ironic year the 6th grade was for me! It taught me, among other things, that real men encourage girls and women to be equals with men. The times, they were changing!
Steve Walker, Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.