Yes, I am a Teacher

I have been gainfully employed as a math teacher for 32 years and it's been wonderful! After all that time I still look forward to going to school every day. It's a great feeling and not only in the classroom.

Last week I was at the Car Repair House asking multiple questions with follow-ups regarding the circumstances of my vehicle's ailments. The other customer who had come up to the counter asked the owner, "Is he driving you crazy with all those questions?" The other customer was not referring to my questions but both the owner and I did think that was what he meant. Not at all minding what I thought he meant, the edge of my lips curled up into a wry smile as the owner answered him by saying, "He's a teacher. He wants to understand everything." The owner was so correct!

Here's another true story. Chicago has new parking meters that are not as simplistic as the old ones you just plunked a coin into. A few months ago I was standing next in line at one of the meters behind a gentleman who was obviously perplexed by the contraption. I described the steps to him as I showed him the sequence to go through, and he graciously thanked me. As he walked away the man said, "You're a teacher, aren't you?" I liked that question!

What about the world of comics, you ask? Back at the dawn of time when I was doing my student teaching at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Illinois, I started a Comic Book Club! I was a semi-regular customer at Gary Colabuono's nearby Moondog's Comics, and Gary agreed to grant all members of the Club a 10% discount on their purchases. I hope that Comic Book Club is still going strong.

Back in that era I also wrote and drew a commentoonie that mashed comics and mathematics together. My drawing saw print in Alan Light's Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom #471 in 1982. It's been hidden from view for thirty years but you can see it over here.