Reflections Of Our Youth

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

Have you ever considered what message you would share with those close to you when you have reached the end of your time here on Earth? Not your last words of “I love you.” If you knew you had a few days and wanted to share wisdom you had acquired over the years to help them avoid some of the pitfalls that caused you disappointment. I guess you could list all the “don’t and dos” and just hand it to them. I am not sure how effective that would be; there are many of those lists already.

When I was attending Burbank Junior High, Mr. Roy Hoke was my homeroom teacher for one year and my World History teacher. He had been teaching for many years before I was one of his students. Mr. Hoke was well respected by the students, and he was able to convey messages in a way that made you want to listen. I am not talking about learning about the war in Eastern Europe, but about a lesson to apply to life. I will call that wisdom for the purpose of my discussion.

Dottie Gross was in our homeroom, a sweet girl with lots of friends. She was prone to talking a lot. Mr. Hoke would say, “Dottie, Dottie, Dottie, sweeter by the gross – be like a two-way radio, you cannot tune in and broadcast at the same time.” We understood that you must take your finger off the switch and stop talking to hear what the other person is trying to tell you. If he said something about a two-way radio, it was time to listen. When we had essay tests requiring answers with details in our own words, someone would always ask, “How long do the answers have to be?” Mr. Hoke would answer, “As long as a little girl’s dress, short enough to keep it interesting, but long enough to cover the subject.” Everyone remembered that and did not need to ask again. In June 1958, my class completed ninth grade and moved on to Sam Houston in September.

Then, twenty-seven years later, I was in a meeting with neighbors, and across the room was Mr. Hoke. I knew it was him, and after the meeting was over, I went over to introduce myself. When I said his name, his response was, “Well, Richard Ray, how are you doing?” He then asked if I knew how Courtlyn Rea was doing. How could he remember students from many years back and remember our connections? Mr. Hoke authored several books over the years and had a large library; however, his eyesight began failing, so he could no longer read. My oldest daughter, Tammy, would go to his house and read books that he wanted recorded on cassettes so he could listen to them later. He had many friends at church and impacted many students during his years of teaching. He was one of the really good teachers I had, and a man who taught me to really listen to the message.

I have the class picture from 1952 at Barrick Elementary included with photos of Eva through her years. That was our third grade, and the year we first met at school. Mrs. Wilkie was our teacher, and her daughter, Helen, is standing next to her. Many of those students were in our classes for fourth through sixth grade and then attended Burbank and Sam Houston. Many of us were part of the June 1961 graduating class.  There are thirty-seven kids in that picture, and I am sure that everyone was there because our moms wanted us to be in our class picture. I am sure that the kids were wearing their best “going to school” clothes for picture day. Only one girl is wearing jeans, but it was normal for girls to wear dresses, even during cold weather. There were no teacher aids, only one school principal, teachers for each grade level, an attendance clerk, kitchen staff, and maintenance staff.

There were no federal or state teaching materials to use for teaching the various subjects, and the same teacher taught all the subjects, whether it was math, reading, writing, science, or others. The lessons were created by the teacher using the textbooks adopted by the state, and the teacher wrote the lesson examples on the blackboards using chalk. Homework assignments would be for pages in the textbook, and some may be handwritten, mimeographed copies handed out to students. All grades were handwritten in students’ report cards. We were graded on each subject and conduct grades every six weeks. The Report Card had to be signed by a parent and returned to the teacher. The student got to keep it at the end of the school year.

Our school day started with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, prayer, and announcements over the PA system. Patriotism, civic duty, and respect were part of the school culture. Yes, it was possible for a teacher with thirty-seven students in a classroom with no A/C or heat to teach many subjects to the same kids for the entire semester. Barrick first opened in 1949 with six wood-frame buildings and the combination auditorium and lunchroom building. Three classrooms as wings on each side. Additional portable buildings had been added by the 1952 school year due to expanded enrollment. Each teacher and the principal had “correction” paddles and would use them if needed. A note sent home to the parents was even worse. Being told to stay after class to clean the blackboards was bad enough. Being asked to be part of the Safety Patrol after school was an honor.

It was normal to develop “best friends”, but grouping in “cliques” did not happen. We all walked to school and came from the same economic background. All the kids would get excited when it was time to work on a school project like the May Fete, carnivals, or even the Paper Drive, when old newspapers were brought to school and stacked in piles for each classroom. The funds from that would be used for something for the school by the PTO. Miss Evelyn Winfrey was the first school Principal and retired after 15 years there in 1964. My Mom began working in the kitchen not long after we moved to that area, and would become the manager of the kitchen staff until she retired when Dad got ill. Mom and Miss Winfrey would be friends until Miss Winfrey passed away many years later.

Looking back at a lifetime includes revisiting a lot of great memories and times we wish never happened. Seeing periods when you were lucky, things did not get worse, and times when they should have turned out better. We all have Monday mornings when we would like to go back and replay Saturday’s game, knowing what we know now. Like the saying at the beginning of this message, we must live “in the minute” with what we know then. What we accumulate over a lifetime is “experience” that, when applied in a useful way, can be “wisdom”. That wisdom will not allow you to go back and redo your life, making things “better”; however, if shared in a useful way with others, it may positively impact their lives.

• Work harder than you want, regardless of those around you.
• Believe you can do better and keep setting higher goals.
• Learn from your mistakes and make better decisions going forward.
• Do not let your current circumstances determine where you will go in the future.
• Remind yourself daily, you are the person who is in control of your life.
• Get up each day determined to not think of yourself being a victim.
• Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts and do something positive.
• Show respect to others before expecting others to respect you.
• The sun will come up tomorrow regardless of today’s storm.
• God loves you.