Show Me the Place, 25

“Show me the place.”

Duke Senior in As You Like It (2.1)

25: Aurora Middle School; Room 116; 1966–67

Room 116 was where I learned—

Yes, learned as well as taught.

The first year of my long career—

And there’s where I was caught.

Yes, forty students in each class—

And seventh graders, all.

The days were long and pressure-packed—

Each day I’d rise; I’d fall.

The room was full of tables, and

A teacher’s desk, as well.

The P.A. speaker on the wall—

Of course a ringing bell

To signify the end of class—

Beginning of the next.

I spent most of my days that year

Enchanted—and perplexed.

Eventually, I knew that this

Was how I’d spend my days.

I fell in love with teaching then—

The years passed in a blaze.

Pics from 1966-67 yearbook--Jaguar Tracks