Mr. Ward, a Teacher who influenced my life.

I remember Mr. Arthur Ward.

01/14/2006, JBH Wonders

Mr. Ward was the American History teacher at the junior high when I attended in the 7^th and 8^th grade. He may have taught other subjects but my only class with him was American History.

Mr. Ward was a man of short stature, a bit round as they say, and had a “southern accent” and a “crew cut” hair style. He may have hailed from Kentucky or West Virginia. I don’t really know. These are the first things that come to mind as I recall the man though it is not what I would consider to be what is most memorable about him.

Mr. Ward knew his history. He loved it and loved teaching it. I did not appreciate this as much back then of course but the adage that “…hind site is 20/20..” definitely applies here. I would really enjoy hearing him teach a history class today.

I don’t recall any specific class session of course, being it so many years ago. What I do remember is that we were a small class. Maybe twenty students or less crammed into a small room that was always hot. I think there was one window but it was too high for anyone to reach. Air conditioned classrooms were still a few years off back then.

A typical class began with Mr. Ward already standing at the front of the classroom with his hands in the pockets of his suit coat as we students filed in. He always wore a necktie. In the summer he did not wear a suit coat-just a tie and white shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up. 

His method of teaching seemed to follow a pattern. That is the usual “open your books to chapter  23…did you read this as part of your homework…” etc. If I recall correctly, he began the class by assuming that no one read the material, as I usually did not. Mr. Ward just started talking about the subject matter and seldom if ever referred to the textbook. So there was no point in us trying to follow along using the textbook most times. He wanted us to listen to him. And listen we did. Mr. Ward started out the lessons calmly but toward the end of the class he would be briskly pacing back and forth across the front of the classroom with a piece of chalk in his hand and expiating his knowledge of history as if he witnessed it first hand

He spoke highly of some of our “forefathers” and added some tidbits that could make one almost believe that he did witness some events personally. By that I mean often Mr. Ward would explain what someone in history was thinking at a particular time in history. These were perhaps his opinions being expressed or else he knew things from an in depth study of history. In either case, it made things entertaining. I don’t recall anyone failing any of his classes.

The only distraction that kept me from listening to Mr. Ward sometimes was this brunette girl who sat in front of me. She sometimes got out a hand mirror to check her hair and I would see her face in it…. She smiled at me through her mirror sometimes, but I digress again.

So that was over forty years ago. I don’t know what happed to Mr. Ward.