Just a Thought: Memorial High
School memoriesBy Steve Walker
In 1980-81, I was honored to teach
Senior Government at Memorial High
School in Edgewood School District. The students and teachers
affectionately referred to the school as “La Memorial.” Two years later I also
taught at La Techla (Fox Tech in SAISD) as well but that is another story for another
column.
Before I began the year, I was recruited
away from reporting for the Westside and Southside Weekly Suns (part of the
Express-News) which now no longer exists. They discontinued them some years
later and incorporated those publications into the main body of the paper.
I would write about stories on La
Memorial for the Westside Sun and the Principal Joe Arriaga would come in to
our office and submit press releases and ideas for stories to cover his school.
Besides editing press releases I would also go out into the Southside and
Westside to cover activities and events and write feature articles about
personalities I encountered in the neighborhoods.
When Ethel Kennedy, wife of slain
Senator Bobby Kennedy came to Kennedy High School for the dedication ceremony
in his name in 1979, I was honored to interview her. Gracious lady.
That caught Arriaga’s attention and he
asked me to leave the Suns and come to La Memorial and teach since I had a
number of years of experience in the classroom.
The only opening he had available at the
time was a government class that was losing the teacher who was being promoted
to an administrative position within the district. The deal was that I would
finish the school year as the Senior Government Teacher with one Freshman
History Class and then the following year I would switch to teach English and
Journalism since that particular teacher was retiring at the end of the year.
The good news was I took four years of
History classes in high school and some classes in College which I enjoyed very
much although it wasn’t my teaching field.
I really enjoyed teaching government
that year, although the bad news was I followed a very popular teacher. Rule of
thumb in teaching is if you are taking over for another teacher mid semester
you want to follow one that is not the most popular or the most well-liked,
which in turn can make you look good. Unfortunately, I followed the most
popular teacher in the school who at one time been named the school’s “Teacher
of the Year.”
What happens is when you institute your
rules and ways of doing things, the students tend to say things like, “That’s
not the way Mr. Rodriguez (not real name) does it or we don’t do that.” It is
hard to overcome, but not impossible.
That is when you get really
creative. I decided that one way to get the students attention was to bring in
an occasional guest speaker so they wouldn’t have to listen to me do all the
talking. That worked well.
One time I had a police officer come to
my class to talk about students becoming interested in going into police work
as a career and what it all entailed. I had not informed them beforehand the
guest speaker would be a police officer so they didn’t know who was coming.
What they also didn’t know was I had talked to the officer before-hand and we
played out a little scenario. His walking into the classroom obviously got
their attention. When he entered he asked me if I was Mr. Walker. When I said
“yes” he told me to turn around put my hands behind my back and then proceeded
to cuff me.
The stunned looks on my student’s faces
told the story. Once they realized it was only a stunt, everyone had a good
laugh and he proceeded to inform them how they could become a policeman.
The students enjoyed the class despite
my prank and asked lots of questions of the officer. I have actually run into a
couple of those students over the years who vividly remember that day. One said
jokingly that was the only time he ever saw my hands behind my back. I talk
with my hands! Who knew?
Anyway, as always, what I write is “Just
a Thought.”
Steve Walker is a Vietnam
Veteran and former Justice of the Peace and Journalist.
