A Heroic Enterprise

The Importance of a First Impression

Ms. Nunley was another in the series of elementary teachers who ran a tight ship. My 4th grade class was a social and talkative bunch. Ms. Nunley’s first order of business was to remind the boys she was not to be trifled. On the first day of school, she would invite boys up to her table in the cafeteria during lunch, ask if they could hand her their apple and then proceed to break it in half with her bare hands. Now, for us that was quite impressive, so we dutifully handed over our apples for about a week or two until we learned it was pressure points and not brute strength that did the trick.

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I’m afraid my trips to the office, however, became semi-regular once again.

I liked Ms. Nunley. She was firm but could have fun. I’m afraid my trips to the office, however, became semi-regular once again. Being the fifth year in school, we had a well-established routine for recess. In the fall, many of the boys would participate in a pick-up game of what one could loosely call soccer. We didn’t really know the rules since soccer teams weren’t a thing yet in Chattanooga, so we made them up. By fourth grade, the competitive among us were not good losers or negotiators. Therefore, fights over soccer were common. Soon the principal banned soccer at recess. It was the highlight of my day.

Ms. Nunley Brought the World to Us

Ms. Nunley was a profound patriot who would often regale stories of her work at the nuclear facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during World War II. She would tell of the dangers and adventure with a sense of pride. Perhaps my best memory from fourth grade was the fateful Apollo 13 return to earth. We had been watching reports of the crippled space craft trying to get to earth on the 25” black and white TV hanging in the left front corner of the classroom.

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She would tell of the dangers and adventure with a sense of pride.

How to Use TV in The Classroom

We only got to watch that TV on special occasions because we constantly nagged Ms. Nunley to adjust the rabbit ear antennae when the vertical hold caused the picture to flip. She would roll her eyes, get up from her desk, threaten to turn it off if we weren’t quiet, and get the picture in order. We knew the scheduled day of the splashdown, aside from recess and lunch, we were going to be focused on the Apollo mission on that TV.

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As the capsule began to perform re-entry, Ms. Nunley no longer sat at

her desk. She stood next to the TV and watched nervously.

We were all aware of the tension in the country but being fourth graders, we all assumed the astronauts were going to be fine. As the capsule began to perform re-entry, Ms. Nunley no longer sat at her desk. She stood next to the TV and watched nervously. The class was quiet as the blacked out re-entry seemed to go on forever. When the cameras picked up the capsule out of the sky it quickly splashed down. We all cheered. Ms. Nunley, our no-nonsense teacher, cried.

How to Teach

One of my great honors as a principal was getting to work with master teachers. The good ones, and there were many, not only kept students on task but used strategies that encouraged enthusiasm. When my son Alec was in fourth grade, he had a teacher named Mrs. Trznadel. Alec was a very inquisitive and imaginative 9 year old who, like his father, was easily distracted. Mrs. Trznadel in her brilliance determined the way to counter Alec’s tendencies was by pairing him up with a student who was a task master.

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She pushed the students academically but there was no drama, which

is a real accomplishment with fourth graders.

Mrs. Trznadel’s real gift was understanding that the other student would not only be focused but had a personality that could encourage Alec to work. Mrs. Trznadel understood the importance of social chemistry in a productive classroom. She pushed the students academically while keeping stress to a minimum.

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It’s More Than Pedagogy

A master teacher tends to more than academic recall. A productive classroom environment requires an authentic demonstration of empathy along with a regard for a child’s intellectual impact on other students. Master teachers should not only be an asset for students but for colleagues, especially novice teachers. Time should be provided for these professionals to collaborate with other teachers allowing greater opportunities for children in other classrooms.

This would require more teachers at the school, but the investment would be worth it.