SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

I received my elementary education at the Bigelow School off West Fourth St in Southie. We were taught by a staff of dedicated teachers who were determined that we receive the best education that the City of Boston could provide. It provided me the basis of an education that took me to the Graduate level in college. This story is not about them; rather it is about substitute teachers.

The majority of substitute teachers we saw came just to maintain decorum during the class period. We were told to use the time as a “study period.” There were two substitute teachers however that stand out in my mind.

The first was a recently returned soldier from WWII. He told us of his exploits while in Italy including the time he spent in Rome before mustering out. He described a church that was huge with a towering Rotunda and magnificent altar, of museums containing sculptures and paintings, and of a chapel where God was painted on the ceiling. Of course he was describing the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. I hung on every word spoken. I will eternally be grateful to him for exposing a world outside of my very limited knowledge as a young boy.

The second substitute teacher was a recent graduate from college. She came to teach the Music class we had once a week. She brought with her music scores of songs sung during the Civil War period. With her back to us at the piano we sang songs like The Battle Hymn of the Republic, Dixie, When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again etc. When she passed out the song Massa’s in the Cold, Cold Ground, we all kind of snickered. Without a word spoken between us we bellowed out “My Ass is in the Cold, Cold Ground.” Every time the refrain returned we upped the volume a little bit until the final refrain where we screamed as loud as 12 year old mischievous boys can, “My Ass is in the Cold, Cold Ground”

That is the memory of 70 years ago at the old Bigelow School.