"Mr.E."

It all started so simple way back in the day - before cellphones, before the internet, before school computers, before al most anything. I never expected it but it happened. It started with a simple game between homerooms. The school thought it would build a 'better school'. I had just started teaching middle school so I was game for almost anything.

Our teachers were told to come up with a homeroom name. We were going to shoot hoops in the gym with our students each assigned morning - WITH our students. Yes WE  had to take part. I had been a basket ball coach for years so that did not scare me but I started practicing at home just to get ready. I did not want to embarrass myself.

My students could not come up with a name that they could agree with so we became known as the 'Mystery team'. As time went on it became the MrE team and that simple meant that I became MrE since my last name began with an E.

Over the year the name spread and the next class continued to use it and so did the next and the next and the next and so forth. 27 years later it was all the kids knew. They were in MrE's class. All because of a simple homeroom basketball stunt.

As teachers we have all been told to stand at our doors as the students file in and to watch the hall traffic. I never had a problem with that. Many a day went by when I was the ONLY teacher students saw in the hall. I loved it and was glad to be there talking to my students, telling them good morning, checking to see how their day had been, how their home life had been the night before, if they had their homework  - if not, why not.

I learned so much in those brief few seconds every class change. I would not change it for the world. I wish I had never retired. My retirement was simply because my wife retired and since she did I figured I had always hear 'retirement is fun. You get to travel, time is of your own making....' NO IT IS NOT. I hate retirement. I hate having nothing to do. Life is SHIT - excuse my French, so to speak.

Within two weeks I was looking for some other place to teach and I found an Episcopal school and needed a prt-time 8th grade history teacher. I interviewed and got the job the same day. It was part-time With a really weird schedule each day but it was a job. Spent two years there loving it. Thanks EDS.