By: Dr. Jacquelyn Simmons
My Friends,
Mr. Carroll’s speaker’s message during our last assembly held at Carroll High School, and God’s imbued courage and faith were major contributing factors which served to “edge me” to press forward to teach at Neville High School.
Upon my arrival, I was directed to the teachers’ supply room in which a massive supply of supplies was placed. I felt as if I were a child on Christmas morning while viewing gifts under the Christmas tree. Some of the supplies were stacked so high until some of us had to use the “on hand” “stool” on which to reach them. Some couldn’t be reached at all by people short as I happen to be. I must admit, I took more than I anticipated using, but decided, “ just in case…” Isn’t that the way kids act in a candy store?
At Carroll, we had been issued one ream of copy paper each semester and a very limited number of ditto sheets, also. Another previously enforced policy at Carroll which disturbed me was the withholding of teachers’ checks on the last day of school until every textbook issued them for their students had been accounted for.
Some teachers suffered greatly due to very small checks issued them even though it was not their fault some students had dropped out, or for other unknown or known reasons, had not returned their books. But by God’s Grace and Mercy, that policy was eventually discontinued.
That aforementioned abominable practice probably had caused some teachers not to schedule homework to some students’ delight, but a nightmare to others who had ambitions to go further in life. God! God!! God!!! God!!!! One of the most humbling and humiliating experiences occurred when I discovered the allotted teachers’ copier was not working. I prayerfully, desperately and quietly entered one of the typing rooms in order to inquire assistance of one of the instructors. The copier was not in use and the students appeared to be quietly typing on their typewriters. The teacher was sitting behind them and reading what appeared to be a magazine.
I quietly explained my dilemma and request and she said with a very annoyed tone, “No”, while looking at me as if I had just crawled from under a rock.
I quietly and hastily exited the classroom after saying “thanks” and prayerfully raced to the office, explained my “plight” to the “then” principal, who very kindly ran the materials for me on the office machine. On the following morning, a new machine was placed where the broken one had been located.
As taught me by my parents, family members, elders, teachers, “church folk”, etc., I went to the principal’s office and said to him, “Thank You, Sir”! To God, “Thank You”, my indescribable Triune God, first!!! (Smile)
