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The Middle of the Road: By Randy Peters, a middle-aged, middle-income, middle-school teacher Time Measured in Sunsets, Laughs and Junes OUR YUCAIPA | JUNE 2015 19 I suppose we all find ways to mark the passage of time. I'd like to assume no one really makes notch marks on the walls of caves anymore. But some people watch time pass by marking their birthday or keeping track on this year's holidays in comparison to last year's. Some know another year has passed because it's time to make the trek to Staples to get the new calendar. I like the idea behind the song "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent. The lyrics talk about the measurement of a year by the number of day times, the sunsets, the amounts of laughter, the cups of coffee consumed, or five-hundred twenty-five thousand six-hundred minutes. For me, the passage of a time is marked by the number of times I've hit the month of June. From kindergarten through four years of college, a master's degree and on through my teaching career, I've ended 50 school years. And all of them ended in the month of June. I've been asked to work on a writing project that reflects on my teaching career. It's given me a chance to think about my years in the Yucaipa classrooms and the events that have marked the passage of time. As students and their families celebrate another June and end of the school year, I thought I'd share a few stories. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and the foolish. During the first few years of teaching third grade at Calimesa Elementary School, I had the chance to experience a few things that still guide how I think children should be taught. One year, we put on a third-grade Christmas play. I don't remember the plot, but I do remember that three girls were Hershey Kisses. They had matching silver puffy costumes and silver caps with small banners coming out like the candy. They sang and dance and seemed to love the lime light. After the play, my principal took me aside to tell me about how important it is that we provide as many opportunities for children to experience as possible. She gave me words that still guide me today, "These kids may not remember that they learned their multiplication tables in third grade, but they will remember that they were a Hershey Kiss in the Christmas play." Those girls are 40 now. I wonder what they do remember. One year I received one of the most special gifts from a sixth grade boy I taught when I was at Park View Middle School. He painted a picture for me. It is primitive and simple. It is of a lady wearing a hat. He signed his name in the bottom right corner. What made the gift special is that the boy is completely blind. I was doing an art lesson on impressionists with the class. As they were working on their paintings, this boy sat at a table with me. He told me what color he wanted and where to put his hand. I held his canvas still as I led him to load his paintbrush and place his hand where he wanted it. By the time we were done, I probably had more paint on me than on the picture. But that work of art has traveled with me to every one of my classrooms and will follow me home one day. Like the lyrics in "Seasons of Love," I especially enjoyed the years that provided laughter. Some of them may not have been funny at the time, but provide some chuckles now. While walking and talking through the hallways of Calimesa Elementary one spring, I caught, gagged, and eventually swallowed a fly. The young, new teacher I was talking with laughed with me… and eventually married me! Years have been marked with the times I sat in a dunk tank, dyed my hair blue, ripped a branch off a tree to show number factoring, chased a rather large snake from coming into my classroom, and sponsored talent shows, art clubs, student councils, and gardening groups. I figure I've taught about 2,600 students in Yucaipa and Calimesa. But they have also taught me. It's another June. Another year has passed. It's time to put another notch on the cave wall. Keep your eyes on the road. Timeshare While walking and talking through the hallways of Calimesa Elementary one spring, I caught, gagged, and eventually swallowed a fly.

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