During the five years my parents operated the Pitchfork ranch I attended over 12 different grade schools. Each year the routine was the same; i.e. start school in Meeteetse, move to town, stay with aunts and uncles as my parents looked for a home to rent (going to school where my cousins were enrolled), live in a rental home (re-enroll in school) and return to the ranch in early spring where once again I would attend school in Meeteetse. Each year the routine was the same only the schools would change. In some years I would attend four different schools as we had difficulty finding a rental and would move from one set of aunts and uncles to another as mom and dad continue searching for a short term rental. I learned to adapt but it was not easy. I always longed to be back at the ranch. Winters were a nightmare. I missed my home and my animals. Maybe that is why I have trouble with winter as an adult! I tire of it fast.
Never once have I blamed my parents for the need to move during the winter. We simply were unable to live at the ranch during the winds and snows of a Wyoming winter. I can remember roads drifting shut behind the snow plow as dad plowed them open to get me home from the school bus drop off point. It seemed like we could have a one inch snowfall and every dang bit of it would end up in drifts on the road to the school bus stop. The twenty plus mile bus ride to Meeteetse was not something that I looked forward to, either. Nor, was it for my parents as they worried about getting me the four miles to and from the bus pickup point. As soon as hunting season ended we "high-tailed" it to "town". Usually however hunting season did not end before the advent of the winds and snows of winter. No wonder I dislike winter. It was a constant battle, one that I prefer not fighting now! At another level those Wyoming winters did instill within me a strong sense of family. I remember with great fondness the feeling of togetherness the family had when snowed in for days. No sense of panic - just couldn't get anywhere!
I certainly had trouble in school until we finally settled in Absarokee, Montana and the 4K guest ranch. Fortunately for me, I had excellent teachers in Absarokee High School who instilled in me a true love of learning and a sense that I could succeed. Excellent teachers coupled with athletic ability afforded me friends and a sense of identity. It certainly helped that I was able to spent three years straight in the same school too! Prior to that, the longest I was ever in the same school for a period of time was one year. One advantage of attending several different schools was experiencing every conceivable approach to teaching imaginable (redundancy intended). I had phonics, memorize it, old school, new school, you name it. In the fifth grade in Meeteetese I was so overwhelmed with the different teaching philosophies and student expectations that I was diagnosed as being hard of hearing. Heck, I wasn't deaf. I was confused and didn't know how to respond/act! I guess I figured it was just easier to ignore em. So I did.
I figure all that confusion and struggle prepared me well for the PhD experience!! ~ the subject of another post. There are a couple of teachers in my past that I would sure like to wave that PhD at! But in the final analysis, I believe all of my experiences, good and bad, have made me a better teacher.
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