Eagle

Time for a school story!!  Although I am posting this story in the OBC series, these events took place during my first year teaching, long before I was an OBC member.  I should probably be embarrassed to tell this, but it is what it is and it's a funny memory for me. 

 The recent cold weather brought this story to mind as I stay home by the fireplace on these cold mornings instead of standing outside doing morning duty on a frigid day with the wind making my nose run and eyes water.....

It is easy to spot new teachers just by their wardrobes.  First year teachers are still wearing the clothes they bought in college and wore to sorority functions and on dates.  Their shoes are high heeled and their outfits have matching jewelry.   They come to work with styled hair and complete makeup jobs. I was one of them once.  My parents had given me and my sisters fur (fake) jackets for Christmas. Mine was jet black and I thought it was so good looking!!!! 

The winter of my first teaching year, I woke up for early morning duty and proudly donned that stylish jacket, slipped on some high heels, and took off for the school house.  As I sashayed down the halls, I smiled kindly at the older teachers getting ready for duty with me; bless their hearts, wearing flat orthopedic shoes and putting on plain, ugly coats. I was never going to let myself go like that; I was a new breed of teacher, stylish and "with it".

As I stood outside on the playground that morning, several of the girls I taught hung around me talking about one thing and another.  One student was admiring my jacket.

"Ooooo, Mrs. Quayhagen, can I touch your coat?" she asked.

"Sure", I answered.

Soon each girl was rubbing the sleeves and talking about how soft it was and how shiny. 

"I wish I had a coat like that!", said one student.  "What is it, leopard?"

"No", answered another, "It's eagle!"

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Oh my gosh, I thought that was so funny!  Eagle!!!  

 But as the year wore on I became self-conscientious of my eagle jacket because I started noticing things.  Many of the little girls that loved my eagle jacket wore threadbare sweaters on those freezing cold mornings.  And the "ugly coat teachers" had classes that were much better behaved than mine.  My students loved my coat, but the older teachers' students loved them.  And that was only a few observations that made me realize that I didn't want to be a new breed of teacher, I wanted to be one of the old guard. 

I don't remember when I retired The Eagle and bought my red duty jacket, I just know that the new one was very plain -  ugly in fact.  It hung on a hook in the closet of my classrooms for many years, twenty-five at least.  I never took it home to wash it - it stayed at school all summer waiting for me and the students to come back in the fall. It never had lip gloss or perfume in the pockets like the eagle had, but you could always find an old cough drop or a warm pair of gloves when you needed them. 

But the most amazing thing about my red duty coat was that it was always a perfect match to each year's new pair of orthopedic shoes!! 

As for me, I became a proud member of the old guard.

                                                                                                     Love ya'll,
                                                                                                            Shelli