tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post5900977174440542786..comments2023-11-23T10:29:38.494-06:00Comments on Catholic Educator: Standing In and Standing OutFnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-66862925138749680052016-06-28T11:19:50.150-05:002016-06-28T11:19:50.150-05:00I still miss you Mom. Everyday. I would stay in Hi...I still miss you Mom. Everyday. I would stay in Highschool forever if it meant I didn't have to have lost you. <br /><br />Love always,<br />MouseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-21692087344711429922014-01-26T08:48:28.822-06:002014-01-26T08:48:28.822-06:00May God rest her soul. She was not only a wonderf...May God rest her soul. She was not only a wonderful English teacher, to whom I owe my love of literature, Shakespeare, and writing, but she was a wonderful boss at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. She picked some of her students to work as ushers at ASF, where she was the Front of House manager.<br /><br />Every year at ASF they put on a charity play full of random comedy skits. I volunteered once, and they wrote a little skit featuring an "usher gone mad". Just before the doors closed and the show began, a planted actor posing as a tactless patron walked across the stage. In the ensuing altercation, I pulled a gun on him and he wrestled it away. Suddenly, Ms. O burst on the scene, shot the gun out of his hand, wrestled him to the ground, slapped handcuffs on him, and then lectured the audience on eating candies wrapped in that obnoxiously crinkly plastic during the show.<br /><br />It was, by far, the biggest laugh of the night.<br /><br />The other memory I have is the one time we tried to pull one over on Ms. O. It was Honors Brit Lit. She was going to be out of town during a double-period, and she had selected a BBC documentary about the life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning for us to watch during her absence. We watched for about five minutes, and we decided it was terribly boring. One of us, who shall remain nameless, produced a copy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail to watch instead. We swapped the tapes and reveled more in our craftiness than the movie itself.<br /><br />Then, halfway through, Mr. Weber entered to check on us.<br /><br />Never has such a funny movie been so agonizingly painful to watch. If you ever watch it again, just try to imagine your school principle sitting in the room with you (especially during the Sir Galahad skit). We tried to explain that this was Brit Lit and King Arthur was a part of Brit Lit, but Mr. Weber just shook his head and said, "I can't believe she has you guys watching this."<br /><br />The next class we received the worse dressing down imaginable. It still brings fresh shame just thinking about it. Ms. O was angry, disappointed, and betrayed. <br /><br />I was about 2 inches tall for weeks, both in her class and at the Shakespeare Festival. She didn't hold the grudge, though.<br /><br />Thank you, Mr. Weber, for this tribute. I will forever be thankful to Ms. O, and, as I continue my love for literature and share it with my own children, she will be ever near my thoughts and always in my heart.<br /><br />Vince Cornell<br />CHS Graduate '97Vince Cornellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-49209149539339306362014-01-06T11:53:58.408-06:002014-01-06T11:53:58.408-06:00Thank you for writing this loving and honest accou...Thank you for writing this loving and honest account, Mr. Weber. I’ve been thinking why Miz O was my favorite teacher. My best reckoning is it was her combination of passion and seriousness.<br /><br />Beneath her fatigue, toughness and structure in the classroom was a romantic core. She wanted to share sublime marvels. When we read plays aloud in class, I could watch her face and tell that quietly, even with the stumbling student readers, she was basking in it. That sense of wonder was hard earned, though, and while she wanted us to get to where she was, she didn’t mean to make it easy. Eventually a student could grow to appreciate what good gifts she was sharing with us.<br /><br />Appreciation aside, she also had to teach us how to write, and in doing so she earned our respect. Early in my freshman year, after having Miz O accept my final paragraph for the quarter, I had about 20 minutes of class time left while other students were furiously scribbling. I could have used it to improve the paragraph and get an A, but I decided I had worked hard enough. After letting me do nothing for a little while, toward the end of class she called me to her desk and quietly told me she would never, ever let me get away with that kind of laziness again. It scared me and shamed me because, more than any other teacher, I wanted her to like me. For me, as for others, she was the judicious audience member, “the censure of the which one must in your allowance o’erweigh a whole theatre of others.” (“Hamlet,” Act 3, Scene 2)<br /><br />Peter Crowley<br />CHS Class of 1993<br />Saranac Lake, N.Y.Peter Crowleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-7688642755949250902014-01-06T09:44:05.639-06:002014-01-06T09:44:05.639-06:00Thank you for this obituary and tribute. Our 5 ch...Thank you for this obituary and tribute. Our 5 children had 1 favorite teacher: Miz O. As my colleague she was generous and non-intrusive--even those daunting times I taught remedial freshman comp,the hardest thing I did at Montgomery Catholic. There are few teachers as passionate about teaching and about literature and grammar, and she was one that I was honored to know and love.Tricia Crowleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-74272493559324672192014-01-05T17:53:53.534-06:002014-01-05T17:53:53.534-06:00Brought tears to my eyes. Even though I only went ...Brought tears to my eyes. Even though I only went to Catholic High my freshman year, <br />Miss O made a huge impact. The great teachers we have in life are never forgotten.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482965438165969428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-32849761703983911902014-01-05T17:31:14.055-06:002014-01-05T17:31:14.055-06:00What a wonderful note, Mr. Weber. I shall always ...What a wonderful note, Mr. Weber. I shall always have fond memories of her, you and Diane, Mr. Frye, Coach Arban, etc. at Catholic High. She was a wonderful English instructor and person! <br /><br />Sending hugs to all who remember her, <br /><br />Ava PorterAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079432751050177837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-20273076736241440912014-01-05T17:29:33.419-06:002014-01-05T17:29:33.419-06:00Hi, Mr. Weber! Yes, I heard this morning, as well,...Hi, Mr. Weber! Yes, I heard this morning, as well, and she is one of the people I always shall have fond memories of at Catholic, along with you and Diane and Mr. Frye, etc. She was a wonderful lady and professor.<br /><br />Ava Porter<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079432751050177837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-4146049676963747712014-01-04T17:49:44.347-06:002014-01-04T17:49:44.347-06:00Absolutely beautiful. Well spoken. Thank you for...Absolutely beautiful. Well spoken. Thank you for sharing this with us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-23685952336063504602014-01-04T17:48:11.012-06:002014-01-04T17:48:11.012-06:00Faustin,
Thank you for this amazing epitaph. It is...Faustin,<br />Thank you for this amazing epitaph. It is a daunting task to capture the enormous impact Miz O had on so many generations, but you did a great job. I was struggling just a few days ago with a writing assignment in my Ph.D. program and I turned to my wife and said thank goodness for Miz O. She taught me the writing skills I have used throughout my life. I now teach criminal justice writing and have adopted some of Miz O’s techniques. Her legacy has impacted so many and will be felt for generations to come. <br />Tony Dean<br />Tony Deannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13701466.post-66469931755269852492014-01-04T17:11:39.858-06:002014-01-04T17:11:39.858-06:00Very nice tribute to a wonderful lady. Peggy Jones...Very nice tribute to a wonderful lady. Peggy Jones, CHS class of 1978Peggy Jonesnoreply@blogger.com