Most kids reflecting back through their school days will come up with a teacher or two who had some influence or inspiration that meant something to them later in life. This wasn't exactly true with me. Not one teacher individually can I think of through grade or high school that lifted me to some "greater heights" in life. Looking back most all were good teachers, especially, my English teachers .Seems like, generally, they were good if you did well and, if you didn't do so hot then it was the teacher's fault.
My sister, Doris, actually was one person in high-school, while studying bookkeeping, who helped me see the light. I didn't get those debits and credits at all. To this day I don't know how or what she did to help explain "double entry" methodology, but she did. Praise the Lord! From that point on those little devils were as clear as a Canadian sky. I aced the class.Maybe I missed my calling. No! Being a "bean counter" didn't seem like the right path for me at the time.
There was also a high school Principlal, who during my Junior year, had the whole football team get together in the study hall before the big game with our rival, Baxter, and preceeded to use reverse psychology on us. To get us all pumped up for the big game, he let us know what a bunch of mamma's boys, losers and etc., that we were. I guess it worked because we went out and pulverized Baxter. I've used that quite a bit through -out my life-especially my kids.
During my sophomore year in high school, a new football coach was hired named Leighton Betz. A slight, thin, almost on the "wimpy side" kind of a guy but, never one to get very angry, if at all. He was fresh out of the University of Iowa and his back-ground was track, NOT football. But, he brought along plays or formations Iowa was using at the time.
Not wanting to waste any further time as a line-man as in my freshman, bench sitting year,(yes, freshman at our little school played in varsity sports.) I begged the coach for the chance to try out as a running back and kicker. My older cousin, Larry Laverty was a linenan, but, much bigger. They would of killed me as a line-man.
I was fairly fast as a runner and could kick a football a good distance. It worked out and the coach was not disappointed. It made my football career in high-school an absolute ball. There's a moral here too! Sometimes you have to step up and pat your own back. Generally, no one else will.
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