In the Wilderness, They Will Still Find You
We remember good teachers, but we revere great ones. I have three from high school that fall into the latter category. George Sherman came to our school from Connecticut and made an immediate impact. He taught social studies and brought it to life. He also had an interest in theater and one Friday afternoon, pulled me aside to ask what I was doing on Saturday. “Nothing important,” I likely replied. “I’ll pick you up at eight, then and dress decently,” was his response. When I got in his car the next morning, I hesitantly asked what we were doing. “You’re a contestant in the county extemporaneous speech contest,” he said with a slightly evil grin. It was at first terrifying to stand in front of a whole bunch of strangers and talk about something with no preparation, but I survived and was all the better for having done it. Ida Mae Harding taught English. She was a bit on the frail and nervous side, but like Mr. Sherman, was able to pull us into literature in ways no teac...
