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Carol Perkins: English teachers The year the National Council of Teachers of English Conference was held in Louisville By Carol Perkins Years ago, the National Council of Teachers of English Conference was held at the Convention Center in Louisville. Attending any national conference was a luxury for teachers in rural areas, so the location afforded us the privilege of attending. As a matter of fact, all four of us (the entire department) were given the day off to go. Part of hosting an event such as this, which brought thousands of English teachers to our state, required a combined effort among local officers, state officers and the state board. So, when asked to "host" a session, I gladly agreed. My task was to greet those who came to the session, pass out the guest speaker's material, be of service to them with glasses of water, and smile. Although almost every session I attended at this conference was very applicable to my classroom needs (perhaps because I chose sessions of interest), the one I was "hosting" was of no interest at all. I faked enthusiasm, which I have learned to do over the years at mundane in-services, meetings and college classes. The topic my expert presenters presented was to provide insight into the proper way to write a dissertation. The ladies, dressed in their Kasper suits, came early to set-up their presentation, which consisted of a flip chart (of course) and an overhead (of course). This was long before power point presentations. Their importance was obvious by the way they carried themselves, oozing with confidence and self-absorbed. (From my observation.) I hate to say this and do so with hesitation because many of my closest friends are English teachers as am I, but there is something very stiff about most of "them". Uptight? Mechanical? I don't know how to describe the overall demeanor, but it is very Shakespearian or very Hemingway. A person can almost spot an English teacher from among all other educators perhaps because of the book of poem she carries! My point is that the presenters were stiff, uptight, and mechanical. I am sure they were college professors. As fellow English teachers who had chosen this session found their seats (usually close to the door), one of the ladies began, followed by the other who proudly read from a model dissertation flashed on the white board in front of the group. (It happened to be her dissertation). "Oh, no, is she going to read ALL of it?" I asked myself as I leaned against the side of the wall, next to the door, ready to greet any later comers. The next thing I knew the dark room and the boring person in front of me lulled me into the state of semi-consciousness. I don't know how it happened and what connection this had to do with the projector, but suddenly I was the center of attention. In trying to stay on my feet, I leaned my left against the wall next to the door and the next thing I knew I had turned the lights on and cut the power to the overhead. Those snoozing jumped and the presenters were outraged that I had caused this interruption. The blonde in the red suit said, "I will just have to start over" in a real snobby tone. She wanted to stomp her foot, I could tell. I wanted to reply, "Don't bother" but instead I apologized and turned the lights off, while one of them reset the projector, and the red suit began again. At the time perhaps I should have been embarrassed and fell all over myself making amends, but I wasn't and didn't. These ladies were probably very important professional women with many degrees whose message was valuable, but I never wanted to do anything but laugh and bit my tongue to keep the giggles inside. It is a great thing to be able to laugh at oneself. I have made a career doing so. -Carol Perkins This story was posted on 2012-03-11 12:57:38
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