Thursday, January 24, 2019
I just came across this obituary. Miss Keddy was my Grade 6 teacher. She was actually the best teacher I ever had. She truly cared for every student, and when her dry sense of humour poked through, it was delightful. I have hundreds of wonderful memories of Miss Keddy, but I'll pick just three...
She had a great knack for making little sayings to help us remember things like how to use ratios -- sayings which I still use to this day...
She also wanted all of us to make the leap to Junior High successfully -- so she made a schedule of our week on the board, rang a bell at the beginning and end of each class (just as they would in Junior High), had us all copy the schedule into our binders (just as we would do next year), and went over the schedule each morning, making sure that every student was completely comfortable with timetables by year's end. All of our teachers in Grade 7 could identify students of Miss Keddy easily because we were so well-prepared compared to all other students...
One final memory... Miss Keddy kept a strap in her desk, as all teachers were required to do. However, she hated it. I remember one day that she was very frustrated and threatened to strap any student who got a certain question wrong. The only one who messed up was the second best student in the class. He was terrified as he went to the front of the class for his punishment. He bravely held out his hand, and she did what she always did on those rare occasions that demanded a strapping. She rested his hand in hers, placed her body between him and the class, and whispered to him before the strapping. This time, though, her whisper was too loud. "Don't worry, dear. I'll just lay the strap gently in your hand -- but I want you to cry as if I had hit you hard. Ok? Here goes. Shall we say three times?" I was sitting where I could see her gentle, reassuring smile as she delivered the "strapping" to the little boy. They both played their parts very well -- but Miss Keddy's reputation as a strict disciplinarian was ruined for good!
There is so much more that I could share about this amazing teacher and human being, but there just isn't enough space. Miss Keddy, I think of you more often than you could imagine. I learned so much about Grade 6 subjects, teaching, and life from you. I am eternally grateful to you. Rest now in well-deserved peace... ❤
