A Life Lesson Learned – Part 1
Categories: Léo’s Insights 2024-2025
I was happy to have a full-time job after a few years of trying to support my family as a supply teacher, even though my new job was an hour’s drive away. I had been offered the job mid-year, as the students had driven the teacher I was replacing nuts. I knew it was a bad scene, but I was not afraid of students and I needed more secure employment.
The students were indeed a bad bunch. There were forty of them, making the class too big, but also too small to split. They had been known as hellions since grade one and were now in grade nine and my responsibility. On top of being punished with having to teach this group Language Arts, most certainly not my strength, I was also tasked with teaching grades seven to twelve French and grade eight Social Studies. It turned out to be the most difficult assignment of my teaching career, but I had those kids tamed in such a short time that I sort of became a celebrity in the community.
Over the years, while most of my students adapted to my strict discipline, there was always one who tested to see if I meant business. One young fellow, easily ten inches taller than me, was the son of the chairman of the school trustees. I am not sure what he had in mind but one day he got up in the grade twelve class and boldly called me a son of a “b”, after discovering he had failed his exam. In a matter of seconds, he found himself out of my classroom. He immediately called his dad to report my misdemeanour and told the principal his dad was coming.
This particular class was the last one at the end of the week. As soon as my students were gone, my ghostly pale principal asked if I had in fact kicked this kid out of class, and, obviously afraid, announced “Bob” was coming. I greatly relieved this poor man when I told him to send “Bob” directly to me. When he arrived, I certainly understood where my young student had gotten his tall stature. Father and son entered my classroom, where the boy sprawled in a front row desk so he could watch his dad rip me apart. It was a good thing I was not intimidated because these two fellas both towered over me.
I know you can hardly wait to hear what transpired during this showdown, but you will have to wait until next time.
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