Category: English

The English Teacher

Posted in 1980s, books, English, garage sales, Judy Blume, memoir, Omaha, Spanish, teacherLeave a comment

I had taught school for two years in the middle of Nowhere, Nebraska, when I interviewed for a new job at a bigger school on the outskirts of Omaha.  I had the interview on a Friday afternoon after a full day of teaching and a fifty-minute drive.  I was exhausted and probably looked that way.… Continue reading The English Teacher

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Posted in dating, English, high school, Home Ec, humor, Iowa, memoir, middle school, Nebraska, problem, self-fulfilling prophecy, small town, Spanish, student, teacher, teaching, typewriters2 Comments

(re-run) It was a few days before the kids would come – 7th and 8th graders. I left my job as a high school Spanish teacher and would now be teaching English to middle schoolers.  It was a way to get out of a podunk town in Nebraska and into a big city in Iowa… Continue reading Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Proper English or Arbitrary Pretentiousness?

Posted in book-publishing industry, books, British Empire, English, grammar, humor, language, Masters' degree, memoir, native speaker, proofreader, spellingLeave a comment

Full disclaimer, I have a masters degree in English. That, in itself, won’t get me a chicken dinner or even a pat on the back. What it does get me is anxiety over the state of the English language in the USA. All one has to do is to scroll the internet to find mistakes… Continue reading Proper English or Arbitrary Pretentiousness?

How OCD Improved my GPA

Posted in 70s, creative writing, election, English, George McGovern, government, GPA, graduation, high school, Jeopardy, memoir, monkey brains, newspaper, OCD, president, Spanish, world historyLeave a comment

I’ve been doing research for a kid book involving the presidents. It got me to thinking how back in high school I needed to do a project for my government class about the presidential election. It was fall semester of 1972. It was between George McGovern and Nixon.  My class project was to make a… Continue reading How OCD Improved my GPA