Dear Editor,
I must say this was the best Christmas I have ever had. For many reasons that I hope to mention in this article.
Happy New Year to all, and may your next year's journey be sunny and bright. Over the holidays, Coach Santa visited McCoy Elementary, three day cares and the home extension for the elderly. Many flashbacks came to mind of my 33 years of teaching. Many faces appeared, along with the thoughts of the fun we had teaching our children. The children were excited by my visit, but it seemed the elderly were excited even more.
I had flashbacks of black and white teachers coming together on early mornings to teach children.We had a good leader, Mr. Harold C Kelly, who was fair and honest. We all grew to know this.
He surrounded himself with loyal employes; just to mention two who had the entire school system at heart, Jerry Brown and Larry Summers.We had dedicated teachers who worked together and shared ideas on teaching our children well beyond the classroom. Coach Toby Melton and I shared the gym as P.E. teachers. It was Mrs. Staples, Mrs. Dorothy Gates, Mrs. Nancy Biggers, Mrs. Francine Wallace and Miss Thelma McGee. Education was going on all the time. If there was a problem with a student, the teachers would send them to the gym. Students hated to face us because we would take away their gym privileges if they gave those teachers problems. At the end of the day, students learned and stayed out of the office.Those ladies were dedicated and fun to watch as teachers.When the bell rang to change classes, they stood tall at their doors and you could hardly hear a pin drop as the students changed classes. I will always remember this type of commitment that was widespread throughout the district. Some are gone on to glory. For those who are still here, may God bless you and a job well done.
Sincerely,
Coach Santa/Coach Johnny Staples
