Carol Ruth Harris

Growing up, school was an important part of my life, especially elementary school. It was a time when a child’s life was mostly unstructured. Playing outside with neighborhood friends, playing alone, building dams at the curb for water to pool up or holding on and swinging from my favorite branch of our fig tree was the norm. When I was in third grade my sister came down with polio. During her recovery, there were many days when I was a latchkey kid or sat in the hospital waiting room while my parents visited with my sister. Books became my constant companions. They still are.

I took the obligatory piano lessons but didn’t practice much. I loved my grandparents very much and spent many weekends at their house, which did not have a piano. However, when they came to visit us my grandfather would sit with me at the keyboard, listening to me play, ready to pounce on each mistake. His corrections were seldom helpful. He was a violinist, always looking for an accompanist. Clearly, I was not suited for his purposes. But his negative methods did contribute to my understanding of the learning process.

A parent of a former student recently asked me, “What do you do now that you are retired? Aren’t you bored?” I laughed and replied that I am busier now than ever… all in ways that I prefer. For a while I was preoccupied with joint replacements. Now, although I no longer crouch to tie shoelaces, I have the freedom to choose my activities. One of my choices has been to volunteer in a program of the public library system, teaching English to a lovely man who has been in the United States for three years. I am able to use the teaching skills I developed in the classroom as a springboard for some of our work. It has been a creative experience for me and helpful to him.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Do you remember your first day of school? Carol Harris offers an inside look into her outrageous, funny, touching and sometimes difficult life at school. This humorous yet philosophical classroom memoir includes true vignettes from a thirty-three year teaching career.

A short read for parents, aspiring teachers, teacher training courses and anyone who has ever reminisced about elementary school. These stories provide both delight and consternation and have inspired extended conversation about the never-ending search for the type of education adaptable and beneficial to all students.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR:

To request Carol to speak at an upcoming event, or to just say "hello", she can be reached via email at HelloMrsHarris@gmail.com.