Public School
CLASS 4-2
The two was an arbitrary number: there were two fourth grade classes. But I
always thought we were a second rate class with second rate students and a
second rate teacher, Ms. Morovich. Charles who sat across from me had
bladder problems and smelled. Manny, the bothersome skinny punk, sat to my
right. Our table was located in the back of the room, next to the radiators
that continually crackled during the winter.
Language Arts
We started class everyday with language arts, Ms. Morovich's favorite
subject. In fact, we did very little math or science, just grammar and
writing. I would compete with Maribel to see who would finish the sentences
first, which would always get a smile from Ms. Morovich. Sometimes we would
get other goodies, like the teacher's edition for the weekly reader. I
loved to do the challenge problem on the back. Sometimes I would go get her
mail and she would let me keep some of her teacher stuff, folders and
magazines that teachers subscribe to.
THE CLASS
Charles never brought any paper with him, not that it would have changed
anything if he did. He just sat there sucking his finger in a crouched
fetal position. Manny doodled on his folder with a crayon. The rest of the
class just sat there. There was nothing Ms. Morovich could do. The class
was plain stupid, and there was absolutely no motivation.
YELLOW GLOVES AND CHALK
Ms. Morovich wore yellow gloves when she wrote on the board. She said that
she had an allergy to chalk. On the other hand, some people claimed that
they saw her licking her gloved fingers. No one knew for sure but it didn't
stop the rumors that she ate chalk. She did have a box of cereal that she
kept in the closet and occasionally she would take it out and shove handfuls
into her mouth.
FELT TIP PENS
Ms. Morovich liked us to write with felt tip pens. She didn't force us to
buy them; she lent us hers. She covered the back of the pens with a cherry
red nail polish to identify the pens. We wrote first in pencil then traced
it over with the felt tip pens to give it a "fantastic finish".
ROWDY AND BOISTEROUS
We had just come back from the
playground after lunch and the class was, as usual, rowdy and boisterous. As
we into the room, an argument erupted and Marcus, a very
big guy, lifted one of the chairs over his head. "No!, No!!!" Ms.
Morovich leapt to her feet screaming frantically, her hands shaking. She
continued prancing about until Marcus put it down. "Stop!! Put it down!"
Her voice almost cracked. Another kid then jumped between the two boys and
grabbed the chair from Marcus. Ms. Stromberger would have to be called up,
again. Even though the principal came often, it gave me the chills
every time she entered, leaning against the door, her blue catlike eyes
penetrating each of us.
6th Grade
I did not see Ms. Morovich again until the sixth grade. She was not a
homeroom teacher anymore, but taught a separate Language Arts class. The
first day, she came down to our classroom to pick us up. "You, hold the
door,", she said, pointing to the first person on line as we headed up the
staircase. I followed behind her. She seemed so sickly, with her cheeks
sunken and she was considerably skinnier. As we walked up, I noticed her
fingers tapping at the banister. At the top of the stairs, she recognized
me but did not smile. "Hold the door," and she proceeded to the classroom.
She still taught the same thing the same way, but her class was more
subdued. She was afraid of us, I could feel, and she hated each of us and
saw us as despicable beings. She was a nervous wreck. She had tics on her
face and her movements were jerky and shaky, and she would suddenly reach up
and brush her hair.
RETIREMENT
After only a few months, Ms. Morovich never came back. I always thought she
had just about enough and retired. But others didn't let her off that
easily. "She's in the cuckoo house," they said.
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