The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering math teacher EUGENE YENSER (seen here in his yearbook photo, bonus link to the announcement in the local paper from 1965 when he got a band award when he was in school).
Our high school was the "urban" school ... and that's not "code" for a diverse student body, as even our "urban" school was whiter than a Trump rally ... but literally, we were the kids who lived in the city, whilst those in the surrounding farmlands and rich housing developments went elsewhere. That's all the long way to say that for whatever reason -- and I place the blame fully on the image that Mr. Yenser cultivated -- I think of him not as one of us ... but as a farmer who drove to work on a tractor to teach us kids math. (I'm pretty sure that's an exaggeration. I think.)
And, on a personal note, Mr. Yenser was one of the lucky few who got to teach something called "unified math" back then, which I now think of something like the "common core" of its day. Sure, it was "math" ... but it was "math" dressed up as something experimental that would help children grasp mathematical concepts in a shiny newfangled manner. Or, to sum it all up in two words for those who know: z-clock arithmetic (on which we had a chapter each year).
Here's to you, Mr. Yenser!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO MR. YENSER'S BAND AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT:
https://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news-may-28-1965-p-21/
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
