I was not teacher’s pet material. I did not care for school. “Why was I born in the wrong decade?” I often asked myself. In my dad’s day, kids could go to school or not go to school. But no, I was not that lucky. When I was growing up, the law said a kid had to attend school at least until they turned 16. I figured I could make it to 16, and then I was gone.
But in the sixth grade, something weird happened. I had a teacher who made me wonder if school wasn’t so bad after all. She was pleasant, kind, funny, and made learning fun. She praised the students who were doing well and worked harder with the students who were struggling, then praised them as well. Everyone was treated the same. Her name was Peggi Edwards.
When I started seventh grade, another teacher worked hard to sabotage my plans. Her name was Tonie Niblett. She recognized my mathematical ability before I did. I mean, my dad was a genius when it came to numbers, so I didn’t even realize my mathematical prowess was up to par. But it was Mrs. Niblett who made me understand that I was different, and in a good way this time.
By then, I figured I had to at least hang around long enough to have another teacher, one I had heard older students rave about. So, I stuck it out to go through Terry Niblett’s physics class. The older students were right; Mr. Niblett’s class was life-altering. I would have definitely cheated myself out of that wonder.
These teachers and several others certainly messed up my plan of leaving school as soon as possible. I mean, the nerve of these teachers, right? But, because of them, because of their dedication to their kids, I managed to make it to my senior year. And it’s a good thing I did, or you would not be reading this article now. Because it was in that year that another teacher made me realize there was more to life than counting.
Mrs. Ardath Grizzell, who taught school at Sylvania High School for 38 years, was a gift. It wasn’t just that she was intelligent, humble, and kind; it was that she opened my eyes to an entire world I never knew existed. Numbers were easy for me, but they didn’t move me like Shakespeare, Poe, Milton, Blake, Dickens, Frost, and many others.
Mrs. Grizzell passed away on July 16 at the age of 102. I can only hope she knew how many lives she had touched, how many she had changed. To these teachers and to all teachers — Thank you.