My most favourite memory of high school is not so much about me, or my friends, but of a teacher whose attitude changed forever when something embarrassing happened to her in class.

The teacher in question we will call Mrs. K., a newly retired military officer who had a chip on her shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon. She was a giant ball of fire whose belligerence knew no boundaries. She intimidated everyone she came into contact with; whether it took place in the classroom, the hallway, the cafeteria or in some cases even the parking lot after school.

She used to stand at the front of the room with the podium firmly in her grip. She would rock back and forth with her class notes on the podium. Her teaching methods were more along the lines of preaching, than teaching. If you were silly enough to not be paying attention to her when she spoke, god help you! She would call you out and cause you embarrassment in front of your friends. High school was already difficult enough without having to deal with the likes of her.

One day in class, she had assumed her usual position at the podium and was bellowing out her orders (I mean, giving the lesson of the day), when the rocking back and forth got the better of her. With all eyes on her, she lost her balance and fell head over heals on top of the podium, which in turn came crashing down on top of her. It was to this day the single funniest event that I have ever witnessed. When the dust had cleared, there she was lying on the floor of the classroom, her skirt up around her waist and her underwear clearly visible to all. The roar of laughter that ensued could be heard throughout the entire school. She stormed out of the classroom to compose herself and was gone for almost 10 minutes. It just so happened that class for that day was almost over and upon her return, we had moved on to our next class.

From that day forward, she was a changed person, treating people with kid gloves and a better sense of understanding. I remember seeing her the next day and asking if she was all right. Her response was that she in fact did not hurt herself physically, but emotionally she was a train wreck. How could she go back into that classroom and face all those teenagers who no doubt had told of the previous days' antics to all of their friends? I said to her, "Why don't you try and be a real person for once and stop hiding behind your military shield?" She thanked me for my input and proceeded on down the hallway in her usual manner.

I must admit the change in her from that day forward was amazing. She would laugh about what happened and make jokes with the students. She went on to become a very good teacher who ended up getting the respect she so badly needed but didn't know how to get.

Her podium was never to be seen again.

I'm participating in the Our Kids Private School Expo Blog Hop. Yesterday's School Memories post can be found at http://latenightplays.com. Tomorrow, the fun is happening at http://downshiftingpos.blogspot.com.