Teachers I Remember

We all remember certain teachers, the ones who “got us” or inspired us or expanded our world. I can’t recall much about my high school teachers; however, two of them stand out because of the permanent impact they made on me: an English teacher, Augusta Gottlieb, and an art teacher, Marie Anselevicius.

Mrs. Gottlieb insisted that her students become critical readers and clear writers.  She gave us a load of work and demanded correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. She expanded our vocabulary and helped us speak and write articulately. We gave oral presentations, wrote too many essays, and learned to critique newspaper columns. We dissected “Oedipus Rex,” “King Lear,” and “Idylls of the King,” and were intrigued by Edgar Allen Poe.

Mrs. G. was a stealth snoop who knew a lot about her students. She had no qualms about getting into our everyday lives, and she wasn’t averse to speaking her mind. She advised my friend, Richie, to pursue his dream of acting and decided to talk to his disapproving parents about it (which she did, successfully). She even had the chutzpah to tell me she didn’t like my boyfriend (it didn’t work). Once, she called me at home to remind me about a new journal she’d discovered for teen writers. (We did a lot of writing in her class, dreading Mrs. Gottlieb’s damning marginal notes on our essays of “awk,” meaning “awkward writing,” or “sloppy,” meaning careless writing).

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Mrs. Gottlieb selected a few students to submit original work to the journal, and she made sure we’d comply with her directive by eliciting parental pressure. Mrs. G. called me at home, and my mother answered the phone. Needless to say, my mother was unaccustomed to this tactic, but she appreciated Mrs. G.’s gall. That very night, to placate both teacher and mother, I started writing! My classmate, Charles, (he also got a home call) and I were surprised (and relieved) that our pieces were accepted. The acceptances were sent to our school, and Mrs. G. gave us the good news, taking our accomplishments as a personal vindication that her nagging worked. I agreed with other students that Mrs. G.’s work was excessive, yet I doggedly accepted the oppression, and worked overtime to appease her.

Marie Anselevicius, a well-known fiber artist, was the opposite of Mrs. Gottlieb, who favored white blouses and sensible shoes and got into our personal lives. Mrs Anselevicius, whose garb and accessories were delightfully theatrical, didn’t care a whit what we were reading or whom we were dating. Her goal was to get us hooked on art—making it and appreciating it. Aware of her status in the art world, I was thrilled to get into her class. We had fun experimenting with various mediums and participating in community art shows, but our pleasure was diminished by her difficult “Fifty Most Important Works of Art” assignment.

Mrs. A. brought a mini art world into our classroom. She mounted 50 oversized postcards of famous paintings and sculptures on a huge bulletin board. The collection was comprehensive. This was years before PowerPoint or other technologies, so we students gathered around the board and took notes as she highlighted several cards each week, to explain salient elements of each one and tell us about the artists’ lives and ideas.

Mrs. A introduced me to Georgia O’Keefe and Louise Nevelson and explained the revolutionary Expressionists and mysterious Surrealists. Students had to correctly identify every picture and name its artist in order to pass the class; however, she gave her students as many tries as needed to accomplish it (this was anathema to Mrs. Gottlieb, who expected that the paper you handed in was your best effort. No re-tries.)

Mrs. A. often opined, “How can people enjoy a museum without understanding what they’re looking at?” I spent many lunch periods in that art room, studying the cards. The Fifty Card Challenge worked for me. My subsequent museum visits became more interesting, having been given an appreciation of an artist as a thinker, a social critic, an iconoclast, or a reflection of an era.

Many students considered Mrs. G. too tough and bossy. Many considered Mrs. A. too pedantic. Today, I thank these two unforgettable teachers for making my life fuller and more enjoyable.