Completing the Masters

Teaching school for the first time was tough, but with the graduate classes at Belmont added in, my life was especially hectic. So I decided to leave the classes for the summer months. This continued until the fall of ’91 when I had only the thesis and defense of it remaining. I had finished my comprehensive exams that summer and had made a good start on the paper.

I had discovered the delights and genius of Jane Austen and wanted to concentrate on her works. So I trudged through that fall writing and revising and oh yes, teaching along the way. Most likely it was during this time that I made that oh-so-bad mistake in teaching Teddy Roosevelt (Gaffes Galore).

I finally had the paper complete and after school was going to take the final copy to my advisor at Belmont. The basketball coach asked me to take some players to another gym for practice on my way and I agreed. I don’t remember how, but the finished thesis that was in a folder was somehow placed on top of the car . . . and I took off. Cars began honking, the girls began screaming at me to stop, and when I looked in the rearview mirror, all I could see were papers spread out all over the road and in the ditches on each side.

I was able to reprint (which took quite a while in those days) and get the finished copy to the advisor (a little late).

So in December of ’91 I received my M. Ed., and finally I could concentrate solely on teaching.