Trego's Mountain Ear

If I ever thought I was a great teacher, the years I worked with Connie Malyevac showed me that I wasn’t.  We worked in the Academic Reinforcement Center at Libby’s branch of FVCC – and, in general, Connie knocked my socks off. 

Probably her training had something to do with it.  Connie went to Gonzaga, and held certifications in high school math and English.  The classics – reading, writing and arithmetic.  Her task was to take students who had missed the “3 R’s” in high school and make them ready to operate as college freshmen.   And she did it with amazing competence.   Her memorial is in her students and their accomplishments. 

It’s not that I was a bad teacher – but I stood on the backs of great teachers.   For me to do a good job, I needed students who came out of high school with algebra down pat, and with the ability to write.  Connie could ferret out the weaknesses and correct them.  I couldn’t even understand how the kids made it through high school without understanding basic algebra.

Connie could teach both mathematics and English.  Later, I renewed my acquaintance with English teachers – some of whom were award winning English teachers – who couldn’t do math.  To be fair, I also ran across math teachers who couldn’t teach writing.  Connie’s greatness was in being able to mix the two – and after years in the academy, I realize what an unusual combination that was, and the training at a Jesuit university was a large part of developing her ability.

I can’t show any awards – like being the state’s teacher of the year or something similar – for Connie.  But I can say that I was a good teacher in the presence of greatness.  And we need more great teachers.