Mr. Hines asks for help
Mr. Hines has been teaching US History and coaching varsity baseball for ages at Turlock High School. He's most famous for his "wallpaper" of Sports Illustrated magazines in his classroom and for his (mis)treatment of the young women he has in his class. He openly proclaims that a woman's place is in the kitchen, making his dinner. He complains when his wife is out of town that he's not going to eat for a week.
His intentions are transparent. He wants the girls in his class to stand up and fight for themselves. His methods may be questionable, but the reactions are unmistakable. I remember as a freshman hearing how Deborah and Shannon Turk (class of '91) would work him over because of the comments he made.
My class ('93) had a handful of willing combatants as well, especially one specific girl (who should probably remain unnamed). She wasn't alone, but she's the one Mr. Hines will remember best.
Aside: I went back to see Mr. Hines a few years ago. I went during lunch break and visited until a few of his students were coming in from lunch. One of the girls came in, and comparisons were made. I told her that Mr. Hines told us we were the worst class ever to come through THS. He said that he says that to every class. I reminded him that we had the unnamed girl, and he recanted, confirmed that '93 was indeed the worst ever, and then flew into a tirade about the time he needed to teach her a lesson, resulting in her breaking out in tears, and fleeing the classroom. In her defense, the unnamed girl would probably tell the story differently than Mr. Hines.
I don't remember if it was before or after that incident, but it was obvious throughout the year that Mr. Hines was having trouble keeping the class in order. Mr. Hines is a pretty commanding figure, so this was probably new to him. At any rate, he asked me to stay after class for a few minutes one day, and I did.
In a nutshell, he told me that the classroom problems were my fault. He insisted that of anyone in the classroom (himself included), I was the one that my classmates respected and would listen to. If I publicly demanded peace and order, they would back down for me, where they wouldn't for him. I told him what I had been telling people for years: I enjoyed being in the class of '93. I found it entertaining to watch the struggle. Essentially, I told him that I knew we were tearing teachers apart, and I enjoyed the show. Disappointed, he let me go. I wasn't going to be any help to him.
I don't have too many regrets in my life, but I very much regret that exchange. A teacher who I respected extended a hand and a request for help, and I told him I wasn't willing to stand up and do what was right. At that point in my life, I had neither the courage nor the maturity to face down my peers and take the side of a teacher.
I especially regret that I have no recollection of even considering that my outlook was incorrect in any way. I was making my way through high school on the path of least resistance, and I wasn't about to rock the boat by reconsidering my approach to life.
I regret these choices, and hope to not make these mistakes again.
His intentions are transparent. He wants the girls in his class to stand up and fight for themselves. His methods may be questionable, but the reactions are unmistakable. I remember as a freshman hearing how Deborah and Shannon Turk (class of '91) would work him over because of the comments he made.
My class ('93) had a handful of willing combatants as well, especially one specific girl (who should probably remain unnamed). She wasn't alone, but she's the one Mr. Hines will remember best.
Aside: I went back to see Mr. Hines a few years ago. I went during lunch break and visited until a few of his students were coming in from lunch. One of the girls came in, and comparisons were made. I told her that Mr. Hines told us we were the worst class ever to come through THS. He said that he says that to every class. I reminded him that we had the unnamed girl, and he recanted, confirmed that '93 was indeed the worst ever, and then flew into a tirade about the time he needed to teach her a lesson, resulting in her breaking out in tears, and fleeing the classroom. In her defense, the unnamed girl would probably tell the story differently than Mr. Hines.
I don't remember if it was before or after that incident, but it was obvious throughout the year that Mr. Hines was having trouble keeping the class in order. Mr. Hines is a pretty commanding figure, so this was probably new to him. At any rate, he asked me to stay after class for a few minutes one day, and I did.
In a nutshell, he told me that the classroom problems were my fault. He insisted that of anyone in the classroom (himself included), I was the one that my classmates respected and would listen to. If I publicly demanded peace and order, they would back down for me, where they wouldn't for him. I told him what I had been telling people for years: I enjoyed being in the class of '93. I found it entertaining to watch the struggle. Essentially, I told him that I knew we were tearing teachers apart, and I enjoyed the show. Disappointed, he let me go. I wasn't going to be any help to him.
I don't have too many regrets in my life, but I very much regret that exchange. A teacher who I respected extended a hand and a request for help, and I told him I wasn't willing to stand up and do what was right. At that point in my life, I had neither the courage nor the maturity to face down my peers and take the side of a teacher.
I especially regret that I have no recollection of even considering that my outlook was incorrect in any way. I was making my way through high school on the path of least resistance, and I wasn't about to rock the boat by reconsidering my approach to life.
I regret these choices, and hope to not make these mistakes again.
posted by ronny at 20:37
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