Teaching the Class

Today just before church, we were having our choir warmup 30 minutes before the service.   I had gone to Tuesday practice and worked on the songs so I was prepared and perhaps anxious.  As we were getting started, I made motions like I would be the director.  To my surprise, our director Stacy said "Are you going to direct today?"  I thought, sure!  So I directed and she sat and sang.  We went through both songs, and of course, Father Jim came to check and was quite surprised to see me in charge.  I carried on and thought I did OK.  It was certainly a workout -  got your heart beating.

Stacy took over to direct during the service.  We got some nice compliments after, and I took an extra measure of pride for the credit.

It reminded me of when I taught the History 102 class in the Winter Term 1984 at Washington and Lee University.    Like today, I had prepared so I must have been confident.  I was actually studying in the classroom ahead of time.  There was a free period for that classroom.  I was sitting at the large table where there was usually a portable lecturn.  While I meant to clear out before class started, a student or two came in and then Professor Lamar Cecil came in early.

"Will you be teaching the class today?" asked Prof. Cecil in his inimitable fashion.  Like today, I said, Yes, I can do that.  To my great surprise, he took my seat in the small desks , and announced as the rest of the 25 or so students came in "Mr. Turley will be teaching the class today."   Everyone looked at him, and me, wondering, is this going to happen?  But Prof. Cecil said "Please Mr. Turley, go ahead".

So I launched into the lesson.  Our reading that day was for the start of the Nazi regime in 1933, with the ascension of the National Socialists.  So I started with that.  I recall that I remembered the day of the year.  I was off to a good start!

"Actually Mr. Turley, didn't it start before then? asked Prof. Cecil.  Thinking fast, I said, "Perhaps we should go to the time of the Beer Hall Putsch in the 1920s.

"Actually, Mr. Turley, perhaps we should go back further.  At that point, he got up and took his place at the front.  The experiment was over.  He then started the lecture with Hitler's birth in Austria and early years.  I never would have thought to start the lecture like that.  Our lesson we read started in 1933.  But that's why he was the teacher.

Father Jim asked, "Are we paying Stacy to be the director?"  But we all agreed that the higher calling was teaching the next generation of teachers.  Professor Cecil did a good deed then, if only for a few minutes.  I'm glad it happened again today.

And now, Heeereee's Professor Cecil!

Alumni College: Lamar Cecil's "The Lion Rampant: Americans, Frenchmen, And All Sorts of Indians" from Washington and Lee News on Vimeo.