When Mrs. Marguerite Kalar would show up at school, we knew we were in for an entertaining and educational class period… if we listened carefully enough.
This wonderful woman was born in 1904 and spent many years teaching in the school system in my hometown of Algona. In her later years, she served as a substitute school teacher at O.B. Laing Middle School, and she lived in a beautiful, historic home across the street. Mrs. Kalar was long retired by the time my friends and I knew her, or at least it seemed that way. And, to be honest, she was understandably forgetful. My friend Dave wasn’t.
During one of our first classes with Mrs. Kalar as a sub, she mentioned how her favorite age is 16 because that’s when most kids are introduced to driving, and she went on for the remainder of the class talking about her experiences in great detail. So to get her off track — and to avoid any prepared classroom instruction — my friend Dave would ask her, “Mrs. Kalar, what was your favorite age?” or “Mrs. Kalar, what kind of vehicle did you drive as a teenager?” or “Mrs. Kalar, at what age did you learn to drive?” And the next 45 minutes were another rendition of the same history lesson about Mrs. Kalar’s youth driving experiences.
Our regular teachers caught on to this, as only a select few lesson plans were actually used. I remember this being frustrating for some of them, and it probably also was for our principal, Mr. Drake, as finding last-minute substitute teachers was no easy task then, and it certainly isn’t today either.
Even so, an education isn’t all about what we read in books. If we miss a class or two about prepositional phrases, linear equations or photosynthesis, then so be it. Life experiences can be great lessons, too… if we listen carefully enough. This is a great reminder for teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members and legislators who continue to work toward solutions for the shortage of classroom instructors.
Mrs. Kalar died in 1992 and, like many other substitute teachers, impacted a tremendous number of youth in a positive way throughout her lifetime. Thank you, Mrs. Kalar.
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 |
