Teacher

Here's another one prompted by Story Corps' National Day of Listening : Debi Thomas skating to George Michael's "One More Try" way back in 1988 at the Calgary Winter Olympics. This was her Thank You to coaches and teachers in the exhibitions after she won a Bronze medal. The expectation back then was that she would win Gold. So this was kind of an apology and a disappointment. Looking back, it was phenomenal, marvelous and heartfelt.  Hindsight is 20/20, right?

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own." -- Benjamin Disraeli

There are several teachers I want to give my heartfelt Thanks to : Mr. Harry Cramer, David Olson (DO), Anne Lundin, Doug Johnson. You, too, Dottie.  You all made a difference in my life, and I'm glad you were part of it. Thank you!

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Mr. Harry Cramer, my old Latin teacher in Antigo High School. He looked ancient even then in the 1980s, but he always had a smile through the wrinkles. What a great sense of humor he had. You had to have a sense of humor to wear the horrendous ties he wore everyday to school--they were a talking point. He made learning Latin painless with the help of cartoons and where the characters "clamat OW!' and "amat mel." 25 years later, I can even still tell you what that means. (Victor yelled ow! after hitting his thumb with a hammer (or some such). Anna loves honey.) He and his wife, Mrs. Cramer offered me my first regular job as a clerk in the local book store Mrs. Cramer managed : Book World in Antigo, WI. I tended to go there anyway because I was interested in books and song lyrics ... I guess they were looking for a kid who would be interested in the nature of the work.  I was.

Mr and Mrs. Cramer organized trips to Greece and Italy regularly for the Latin Clubs. My mom and I got to go on the trip in 1988. What an experience that was for both of us. My mom had never been in a plane or left the county before that time (me either, for that matter).

Mr. Cramer also introduced me to the Holiday Folk Fair in Milwaukee that I love so much. Back in the day, the Language clubs used to take a 5-hour bus trip down to Milwaukee the weekend before Thanksgiving for the Folk Fair -- 3 days of ethnic foods, folk dancing, and crafts from all over the world. It was love at first site for me! With a name like Matucheski, I could never deny that I was Polish, and the Poles were the butt of many Polish jokes in that neck of the woods. Well, the Polish stand at the Folk Fair Bazaar had the most beautiful wooden boxes and painted eggs as Christmas Tree ornaments for sale, crafted in Poland. Here was concrete proof that the Poles made a contribution to the world, and made beautiful things. The Folk Fair is still a fall tradition for my little family. I was saddened to hear that the Language Clubs no longer make the annual trek from Antigo. The Folk Fair was one of many gifts Mr. Cramer gave me.

Mr. C. developed Parkinson's Disease in his later years. Last year when I was home for Christmas, the phone rang. It was Mr. Cramer, who had accidentally and serendipitously dialed the wrong number--ours. It was good to catch up with both him and Mrs. Cramer that day.   I'm thinking of you, Mr. C!

Thanks to Doug Johnson, Art Professor at UW-River Falls

Professor Emeritus, Doug Johnson. Photo from here in 2008.

Prompted by the Story Corps National Day of Listening where you Thank a Teacher, I am honoring Doug Johnson, Professor Emeritus in Art from UW-River Falls.

I have to give this guy credit. I took two classes with him while I was in my early college years at UW-River Falls around 1990. His Art 100 was not just the usual art appreciation class where you look at lots of slides of great art and discuss. He actually had us all purchase Craypas and good paper so we could MAKE some art of our own in all the styles we were studying. Each week, we had to show our stuff, too, for a critique. I had no idea how liberating that would be! In high school, I had creative and talented friends who were in all the Art classes, but I was on the college prep track, so no time for art classes. Sigh! Thank goodness Art 100 was REQUIRED in college. And thank goodness, I took Doug Johnson's class that pushed us beyond merely appreciating art.


Dog in the style of Nabi (circa 1990). This is the only piece I kept from those days. One of our dogs laying on a hunting jacket.

Doug Johnson encouraged us to really press the color into our paper. None of that wishy-washy pastel stuff. We had to be "committed" to the piece. He didn't want to see any of the white paper showing through. ;-)

My last spring semester in River Falls, I took a sculpture class (I had learned the year before that it was impossible to take heavy and serious classes in spring--Try writing a paper on nuclear war while the apple trees are blooming, and you're in love! The two are not compatible!) Anyway, the creative classes took an investment of time, but not memorization--it was a different kind of learning where we really got INSIDE of the lessons-- for which I am grateful. I still have the sketchbook from that class, though none of the sculptures.

I don't know that he ever made it big with his art. He was the kind of guy who--if he dropped a pottery sculpture on the way in to the gallery, and if he liked the way it broke apart on the floor, he'd fence it off and make it a display. Now that's rolling with the punches! I think for him, it was more about creative expression than making a lot of money.

Doug Johnson made me promise I would take more art classes, even if it wasn't my major. He saw some potential in me. Now, it's 20 years later. I doubt he'd even remember me. I would like to say "Thank you for the encouragement in those early years." I have taken more classes and made more art since then. "Making stuff" has become an important part of my life. Some of it is tracked and recorded on my Sweet Leaf Notebook Blog.

You made a difference in my creative life, Professor Johnson. Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

Here's is Oliver's Thanksgiving Turkey, made at school with markers and a coffee filter. I love the effect so much, I'm trying to figure out how to apply it to cloth as a dyer's technique! It makes a nice sun-catcher, and everyone should have a little kid-art on their house!

Thanksgiving IS my favorite holiday because it's about food and family and being together. It's not about presents, but presance. It's not really about religion, either.

A celebration of ABUNDANCE, not only of food, but of the other riches of life.

What am I thankful for? All the usual things :
* A wonderful partner--I can't imagine a better match for me :-)
* A loving and supportive family (Ma and Pa, Gramma)
* A bright kid
* A decent job that supports my quilting hobby
* A warm fire to sit by on a cold winter's night/day
* A wonderful dog with a story of her own (though we may never know her true past, she has a good life now)
* An ice rink with uniform and regular ice most of the year (I know this one is not environmentally friendly, but then neither is heart surgery, which would probably eventually be the alternative if I did not skate)
* A place to call home

As Glen Phillips sings with Toad the Wet Sprocket, "I will not take these things for granted."