Challenge

Dick Shepardson, my advisor at the University of Iowa asked me to be part of a Southern Prairie AEA #15 teacher inservice day. It was to be held on August 29, 1986. He asked me to do two sessions on writing across the curriculum. One would be for the elementary and the other for secondary teachers. I agreed to do it and was excited about the opportunity.

The first part of the event was held at Ottumwa High School and teachers came from all of the districts in the AEA. My first session followed the keynote speaker session in the opening session. My session with the secondary teachers was held in a third floor classroom in the southwest corner of the building.

I arrived early, organized and reorganized my handouts, reviewed my notes over and over and waited. At last, teachers began to stream into the room. Seats in the back filled up and the teachers carried on a loud chatter. I waited awhile and then decided it was time to begin.

I started to welcome them to the session when a teacher named Jeff shouted out, “Who are you? What’s experience do you have? “ I was taken aback and didn’t know what to say. Gradually, I got my composure but things continued to go down hill. The teachers challenged every statement I made and didn’t even let me finish sentences. This went on for about 40 minutes and finally a teacher interrupted the disruptors and said they wanted to hear what I had to say. I did get to present for about 35 minutes and then I thanked them and ended the session.

Two or three of the participants came up afterward and told me how sorry they were about what had happened and apologized for the unprofessional behavior of the others. Still stunned I packed up my materials and headed for Evan’s Junior High for the elementary presentation. I felt like I had been beaten up and was exhausted!

The contrast between the morning session with the secondary teachers and the afternoon session with the elementary teachers couldn’t be over emphasized. The afternoon was a great session! It went so well and I was so buoyed by it that I forgot all about the morning session until I was well over half way home to Mt. Pleasant.

Postscript: Two years later I was the afternoon instructor for an Iowa Writing Project Institute held in the Ottumwa High School Library. Jeff, who said he thought he knew me from someplace, was in the class. I knew exactly where he had met me before but I didn’t tell him. He struggled in the class like many but came dramatically around after about two and a half weeks. He said he was changing the way he did everything. One of the last days it must of dawned on him where he had seen me before.

He came to me after lunch and he said, “Do you know who I am?”
I said, “Yes, you’re Jeff.”
And he said, “No, no! Do you know who I am?”
I said, “Yes Jeff, I know who you are. The inservice a couple years ago.”

His face went white and he said, “I’m so sorry!” He went on and apologized over and over.

I told him to forget about it. He had actually changed his practice and I couldn’t have ever hoped for anything better.