Hi J,

When I was in elementary school I had an art teacher who I practically worshipped. He saw that I would be an artist, and put as much attention to me as time would allow. He smoked a pipe (back in the days when you could do that in/outside the classroom). He would turn tragedies into triumphs (water spattered on my dinosaur painting and he said it was now advanced art!). Aaahhh, Mr. F, you were an inspiration!! I know I can contact him on social media, but I am stymied and shy about it. I am not the quality/quantity/relatively famed artist I wanted to be and it wouldn’t be the same, you know?

Then there was Mr. C, my HS teacher who filled many, many hats: My basketball coach, my advisor, my Econ. teacher AND my Oceanography teacher! He was fun yet flash-point unforgiving of the world, yet profoundly caring of his students who would become part of the world. I asked him after my grandmother died, “How come you’re being so nice to me all the time?” (months and months after the death) and he said, “That’s why we’re all here.” Still carry THAT with me and live it!!

Best,

Inky

Dear J:

None of my teachers were an inspiration to me. No personal relationship was formed with any of my teachers. None that I remember and none that I benefited from. None noticed I was such a troubled child, none asked me why I was so troubled, so miserable.

There was one teacher, in Elementary, I do nor remember her name or anything at all about her looks, none. The only thing I remember is that she was the strictest of all: we, students, had to sit with our back straight on the chair at all times. Arms had to be around the back of the chair at old times, not in front. If we dropped a pencil to the floor and had to move our arms so to pick it up, we had to ask for permission. Any movement beyond breathing had to be permitted. Her rules were very extreme and very clear, no areas of not knowing what was expected, what the rules were. No ambiguity.

And I LOVED that. Ah… the safety in it. I cherished her rules and forever wished every single teacher would conduct the class as strictly as she did.

My childhood otherwise, was me being lost in ambiguity, confusion… conflicting instructions, ever changing rules,nothing stays the same, nothing solid to hold on to.

anita