Mrs. Ruth Eisele, THE DYNAMO
I dedicate each book in the CHRONICLES (including the prequel) to the English teacher I had in the time the story takes place, since each of those teachers encouraged my writing and gave me special opportunities to showcase it.
For THE DYNAMO, that very influential teacher would be Mrs. Ruth Eisele (1929-2009), my 6th Grade English teacher at Valley Central Middle School in Montgomery, NY, back in 1968-69.
Since THE DYNAMO is the first book I conceived in what I’d envisioned as a series of coming-of-age horror stories based on my own experiences in middle school junior high, and high school, it’s really where the CHRONICLES begin, and Mrs. E. was where my first attempts at serious writing were showcased.
She was fine with me writing and reading short excerpts to the class (none of which survive, unfortunately … or maybe I mean fortunately). Back then, I was trying to mimic writers like Ian Fleming (author of the James Bond novels) and Alistair MacLean (a thriller writer best known for THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and WHERE EAGLES DARE). Based on things that survived from 7th Grade, I can imagine the cringe factor was even higher the year before! Despite the relatively low quality of the writing, letting me read my writing in front of the class boosted my self-confidence tremendously.
Her class also featured the SRA Reading Laboratory, a color-coded learning tool that resides deep in the hearts of all bookish super-nerds from their elementary school days, sharing affection with THE WEEKLY READER and being able to order Scholastic Book Service (SBS) titles from a catalog in class. I remember the buzz when my box of chosen SBS books arrived, and still have most if not all of the SBS titles I ever ordered between 3rd and 6th grades, including Baby Boomer classics like STRANGELY ENOUGH, THE MAD SCIENTISTS’ CLUB, and SNOW TREASURE.
The goal of the SRS Reading Lab? To make your way through “the rainbow” and to prove that you’re the ultimate reader.
The Lab was literally a box of stories, each assigned a particular color (hence, the aforementioned “rainbow”) based on developmental milestones. Students had to take a short test to determine what color (reading) level to start at, and then would read their way through a series of “story cards” labeled with that color. After reading the story, they had to answer a series of reading comprehension questions related to the story. Successfully completing the story cards of one color granted one the right to move on to the next color in the box. The stories got more complex as you progressed through the box. Mrs. E used this as a way to both teach reading comprehension and to get a better understanding of the reading levels of each student.
And for me and Karin Brinckerhoff, the air of competition to finish first (complete every color) was intense. I haven’t been able to find Karin on the Interwebs to ask her one question: Who won? Or was it all barely sublimated nascent sexual tension? Hmmmm. That presumes she’d even remember me.
Mrs. E also let us pick what books to read, including the heavily illustrated novelization of The Beatles’ YELLOW SUBMARINE. How cool is that?
Other memorable reads from that class picked by us kids included “lite horror” (THE MYSTERY OF THE WITCH’S BRIDGE by Barbee Oliver Carlton) and an inner-city tale that dealt with bigotry and gang warfare (CHAMPION WITH A KNIFE by Elizabeth Abell).
RIP, Mrs. E. And thank you from the bottom of my desk drawer – full of No. 2 pencils and a dried-out Bic Banana from those middle-school days – and my heart.