Teaching above and beyond

A big-time advertiser on Montana television has an ongoing program asking people to enter the name and background of “their favorite teacher.” Those chosen are then publicly honored statewide. I’d always planned to enter a name, but waited too long. It still bothers me it was not done while she was still alive; however, I did a column in April of 1988 and I’d like your approval of a return to ease my conscience. This comes from my heart.

Dorothy Julia Schoknecht was 101 years of age when she passed away last month in Kalispell. I have wondered, and will continue to wonder, how many hundreds of young people, besides me, she greatly inspired during her more than 50 years of teaching.

Each of us need and deserve teachers we remember from our school days — teachers who had a profound influence on our lives, teachers who worked hard at helping us at times when we were undeserving.

There were several in my life and one of those most devoted instructors was Dorothy. She probably helped me the most of anyone I knew in high school.

Besides being an inspiring instructor in subjects from chemistry and biology to history, “Miss Schoknecht” was a patient person, however I eventually discovered the hard way. “she did have a limit.”

By junior year, I’d found a talent for making witty remarks in class earned popularity with other students and often even amused teacher, including Dorothy … but!

One day, after my disrupting chemistry class for about the third time, Miss Schnoknecht came over to where I was sitting, took a firm hold of my right ear, and led me out into the hall. Not only was I embarrassed, I was also totally surprised. She said she couldn’t teach me or the others important things when there was that much disruption in the classroom. She said I had to learn more discipline as she led me toward the principal’s office.

Halfway there, she stopped. There were tears in her eyes. I was ashamed to realize how much I had hurt her with my disrespectful behavior. I returned to the class while I apologized and I said I would behave from now on. I meant it from the bottom of my heart because I admired her so much. We never discussed it again and I took more classes from her. She wished me well when I quit school the senior year for the Army and, in a sincere manner, encouraged me to go on to college when I came home.

Dorothy lived across the street from Iris and me on Kalispell’s east side while we were raising little kids during the ‘60s, and she was a wonderful neighbor. She knew I loved leaf lettuce and kept us in good supply each summer from her garden.

Thirty-five years after the “ear incident,” I ran into Dorothy at the bank while we were talking to mutual friends. I hadn’t seen or talked to her for several years. During our conversation, she volunteered the information, “George was one of my finest students while I was teaching at Flathead High School.” I couldn’t help recalling the ear thing, but earnestly replied, “Dorothy was one of the most influential teachers I ever had.” I reached out and patted her hand.

Thinking about this exchange later that day, I decided she had either completely forgotten the problem I caused her those many years past, or she had chosen that moment to let me know she forgave me. Either way, it was closure for me, an end to a thing that had bothered me since it happened.

G. George Ostrom is an award-winning columnist from Kalispell.