Little Mary Garcia

Shortly after I completed my twenty year retirement from United Parcel Service in 1997, I went “full time” as a self-employed, contractor-type pastoral counselor. And as I have implied with the quotation marks, full-time wasn’t enough time, and I also signed up as a substitute teacher; (a position I held for the next 15 years. Don’t ask me how I managed to last that long).

There were some highlights, both good and not so good, that remain engraved in my memory, as surely as Moses’ (actually God’s) 10 Commandments; in the stone of Mt. Moriah.

Among the first of the highlights, in this case a good one, was an experience I had at Westwood Middle School. I was teaching an ad-lib segment about bats to a 7^th grade science class.

(And middle schoolers can be deplorable. They just can).

At any rate, as the class wound to a finish, a young lady named Mary Garcia smiled and said,

“Mr. McDonald, you sure do know a lot about bats! I really enjoyed your class!”

I have never forgotten Mary, though she would be about 30 now. I’ve wondered where she is and how she is.

But not all of the remembrances in my tenure as a substitute teacher were all that good, (and as a matter of fact, most weren’t).

There was the outrageously outrageous classroom at Bartow Middle School. Such disrespect and noise. Well, you don’t want to know. Ditto a class I “taught” at Bartow Sr. High School; my alma mater. Note to self: Avoid orchestra. I’m not sure any of my students managed to string together two musical notes that day.

And to “put the icing on the cake” how can I forget a couple of experiences I “enjoyed” at Kathleen Sr. High School? During the course of my having “subbed” there I was referred to as a “Bas_ _ _d” and a “B_t_h.”

(Needless to say, after that second “lovely” experience, I refused to return to that school).

Thankfully, I eventually found a way to continue my counseling career, and at the same time phasing out the other one; (Thanks to my having taken a different part-time position).

I think little Mary’s compliment almost made the whole thing worth it.

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 9