The Happy Time

...And ironically, just as I was writing the final words of the last post, Robert Goulet's "The Happy Time" came up on iTunes. It's a song from a rarely-heard musical; I wouldn't have known it were it not for Sandra Jackson, one of the most skilled teachers with whom I ever worked. Sandra taught at East Rome High School (don't look for it any more... it's a Kmart parking lot now), and was in her eighteenth year of teaching when I began there in 1975. She taught English, like me, but she was also the head of the drama department; The Happy Time was one of many musicals she produced during my five years at East Rome--one of many musicals to which she introduced me, for which I am forever grateful. Not only did Sandra educate her students, she also educated me, instilling an appreciation of musical performance that had until that time eluded me. I'm a much better teacher because of the skills she shared with me, and those students who were lucky enough to experience her talents in the classroom never forgot them. I called Sandra a few years ago just to say thanks, and she was just as vibrant and enthusiastic then as she had been in 1975.

Thanks, Sandra... I'll always remember the happy time....