things remembered

  I often see a meme on Facebook saying we should bring back home economics class and shop classes. I'm guessing those courses no longer exist in some school systems. At our high school we have what they call the technology center. It is like shop classes as far as I know. There is a company that provides a manufactured home, for the students to manufacture. At least they were doing that, I'm not certain that is still the case. As far as any home economics classes, I have no idea about that. There is a great deal about the high school and what they are teaching there I don't know about. And sometimes I think that is probably a good thing. When my grandson was in middle school, taking a government class, there was an issue with that. I can't remember the details but my grandson was correct, the teacher marked it wrong, and he was naturally upset. I believe he did eventually question that teacher and they came to some resolution. I just recall that because I volunteered to go have a chat with that teacher. Cooler heads prevailed. 

 When I was in high school we had shop classes, Industrial Arts they were called back then. My father laughed about that asking why don't they call it carpentry or learning electricity? Today, it's technology I suppose. I took nearly every course in Industrial arts offered. I also took one year of home economics. Half the year we cooked, planned meals, and that sort of thing. Later in the year we sewed. The objective was to learn how to be a good housewife. That was going to be your occupation and you needed training. I did enjoy that year being the only guy in a classroom full of young girls interested in being housewives wasn't a bad thing. I got to show that "sensitive" side of my personality. I believe I sewed a vest. I don't have anything from the class but do have a couple items from my industrial art classes. One of them is a ceramic bowl. I made that on the potters wheel. 

 In high school my teacher was Mr. Sherril Webb. By far my favorite teacher. That man did more to teach me useful things than any other teacher. He taught every class, in every disciple. He taught carpentry, metal shop, electric shop, ceramics, auto body and auto shop. I didn't take auto body but took all the others. My final year was advanced shop, were you were sent to repair things around the school. Loose hinges, hang things, change light bulbs, that sort of thing. What they call building maintenance these days. A sort of jack of all trades type of thing. Many years later I held just that position at a tech company right here in Greensboro. Yes, the lessons Mr. Webb taught will be with me forever. I could write a book about the man, he was that influential in my life. Life skills they are called these days. We called it, learning to get by. All the skills Mr. Webb taught would help you in doing that, independently. A champion of doing it yourself if ever there was one.

 I have thought of him often over the years. I am reminded every time I go to do something. But I also have that little bowl I made in his ceramics class. Naturally I had made it for my mother back then. Most of those projects were for Mom, except the tools I made in metal shop, I gave them to Dad. I recall a screwdriver and a hammer. I have no idea whatever became of them. We even made a hot plate in electrical shop. Well, we did make a variety of projects learning all sorts of skills along the way. As long as you made projects that were in the school curriculum you didn't have to pay for any materials. If you wanted to make something more ambitious, you bought those materials. My mother gave me that little bowl back a few years ago and it sits on top of my kitchen cabinet. I do smile each time I notice it. I'd say that bowl was made in 1968 or 69. It's a good fifty years old now. antique pottery. What do they call that, folk art? Well it is certainly folksy. On the underside there is a potters mark. Mr. Webb taught us that all potters have a distinctive mark, like a brand, that they use on their creations. We were all tasked to create one based on our name. I lucked out on that one as my last name I felt was easy enough. I drew a cart wheel with an arrow pointing to the right. Reichart is my last name. A cart going to the right. I got a good grade for that bit of inspired thought. I never did register that mark. I prefer to think that it is a one of a kind piece of ceramic, by an unknown artist. 

 I do enjoy having it around. A piece of the past and a reminder. It truly is the little things that bring the most joy. One piece of a time machine. I keep collecting other pieces and one day it will all be assembled. Some say the past will catch up with you. But that is only when you are trying run from that past. As for me I would love to go back, relive that past. I wouldn't want to change it though, no, I just want to live it all again. I don't want to go back knowing what I know now, that would change everything wouldn't it? Yes, I'd just like to do it all again, at least one more time. I've made it this far I must have been doing something right. I have no desire to improve what was, it was just fine the way it was. The real goal should be, improve tomorrow. You can't improve tomorrow by changing yesterday. All you can do about yesterday is smile. " Everything is ephemeral, both that which remembers and that which is remembered." Marcus Aurelius 

                                          I designed this to hold things, not to drink from it. that's why no handle. It has some things in it right now.