#I have sixth graders back in a seventh grade class that is now at 26

[likesplatterpaint]

I understand scheduling kids for classes is a complex unwieldy task but

*scream of rage*

[that-bi-bliophile]

So my friends and I have an ongoing collection of quotes that my crazy math teacher has said. We had our last math class today so I felt it would be a good time to share this. (I added some annotations so that it makes more sense to people who weren’t there)

                                                 Quotes by Mr. G

                                             -An Ongoing Project-

“Grizzly bear will never get reindeer, correct?”

“Health is good”

“I don’t know what planet you are from”

“Hey, build pyramids!”

“And Humperdink will be sitting at his lonely table” (I looked it up and there’s a song called Lonely Table by Engelbert Humperdinck)

“Power to the power, power to the people.”

“I like that you laugh, it means you are still alive”

“Don’t laugh because people around you are shaking.”

“Someone is laughing, it is not supposed to be like that.”

“You are so engaged, that makes you 19”

“I appreciate if barricades are taken off your desk onto the floor.”

“And fish becomes shark and eats copies.”

“Also, cover your tails”

During an earthquake drill: “Take these drills seriously” -Mr. Asdfghjkl’, “Also, take seriously mathematics” -Mr. G

“I thought it is a box”

“Lice, only in your brain”

“Welcome again to the same stream, but water is different.”

“No, there is no Mr. G.”

“Yes, Mr. G is here”

“Why are you sitting?”

“I am concerned about your grade, and your knowledge. Mainly your knowledge.”

“By the way, I like tables.”

“About geometry and your life.”

“I don’t know what you are digging”

“Kids; too many”

“Look China, look China, look China”

“What information shall we withdraw from China?”

“Give me two points India!” (These last three were from a thing we did graphing country populations by the way)

“Specifically in the mountains.”

“I am driving, Maxime, do you understand?”

“He is doing minimum, it is food for thoughts.”

“He is also a jumper, will you share what you see in the other world?”

“Mr. G often goes tangentially.”

“Ellie chose and very wisely!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, our train is approaching, silence, tunnel, please, or else explosion.”

“Goat leg”

“I will now burst with my anger.”

“Mr. G is standing on his head now.”

“Homework is a bridge.”

“Anita was a fox and Basilio lost his money: golden bars.”

“I feed you, you are a shark and sharks are biting everything.”

“Thank you for stretching, maybe you have the right.”

“Your teacher is Mr. G, I know him.”

“Don’t be scared, but some of you didn’t learn and you are going to suffer.”

“You are the first representative of a younger generation.”

“I am not poisoning you.”

“I am entertaining you. It is the afternoon.”

“Look at their information, it’s terrible!”

“Where comes two? Oh! From the ceiling!”

“I made a mistake, wait, did I?”

“They forbid me to go to school, they say they will arrest me.” (During quarantine)

“Stop with attention span, whatever happened, don’t pay attention.”

“Go, go, go, go, go, go!”

“Anastasiya, did you learn your fingernails very nicely?”

“We are all working, I don’t know what republic you are.”

“No big goose.”

“Now we have geese in the water, looking something.”

“It’s not a pack of wolves, okay?”

“It’s called an undisciplined guy.”

“It came because we were catching all big fish”

“Algebra: without algebra there is nothing in life.”

“You are like fish”

“Your brain will grow like a cabbage”

“O.M.G. Our mutual goal”

“Tongue rolling attitude”

“A gebra named al”

 “Knowledge shouldn’t be soft”

“Hands up, how many hands do you have?” Max says, “10.” (We have a theory that he’s an alien, he’s also said things like “blonde eyed, blue haired”)

“Only happy people watch a clock, because they want to extend their happiness.”

“Relax, feel in my classroom, at home.”

“Someone is running water.”

“In U.S. you have freedom and liberty” (Mr. G is talking about not finding the discriminant before solving.)

“Bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, where is my bacon.”

“Alexa, turn off, Alexa will you turn off your music?” (Caused several other people’s Alexa’s to turn on over Google Meets)

“Dying, just relax guys, I’m not dying.”

“Tilda likes her boys like she likes her numbers, positive.”

“What’s up is here.”

CMC: “A score of 14 and over should be commended.”

Mr. G: “A score of 14 and over shouldn’t be commended in this classroom.”

(He told math team he expected us to get at least 26)

“Relley, you are number 7”

“Two minutes! It is too much time!”

“Sixth graders are like rabbits. They are always twitching, and each time you turn around there are more of them.”

“Only Mr. G can put flesh and blood into these skeletons.”

“In Ukraine, they call it the big bear, but here, you call it the big diaper.” (He meant the big dipper)

“Boo, did you do your homework?!” (We have a great recording of this one. We did it for our Spooky Room™ in advisory because his granddaughter is in my advisory)

“Sing the song!” (Then he ‘sings’ the quadratic formula on like one note)

“The textbook is your bible.”

“Shake your heads!”

“‘Good Morning!’ said Bilbo, ‘What do you mean?’ he said. ‘Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good one?’”

“Alessandra, you need a life.” (This was really odd for him to say a student shouldn’t just spend all their time on mathematics, a different teacher ran out of the room to tell people @ohnoimfangirlingagain)

“Tilda, you are good, not great, but good.”

“You are the best of the best.”

“You now owe me a Ritz box.”

“Any questions” -Mr. G, “Nope” -Student, “Okay, also not good because there should be questions”-Mr. G

“Like a magic wand.”

“Is anyone falling apart, is anyone under the table?”

“I can see behind the sofa, is anyone in the orchard, picking fruit?”

“Sending them out of the boundaries of the United States, oops out of the equation.”

“You are great specialist at this one.”

“Not president of the united states, but candidate for the equation”

“You are very good citizen of BPC school.”

“Guys tell me, difficult? Difficult in training or easy in battle taking test.”

“Extraneous root is like outside fish that we throw back to the sea because it is not the fish.” (One of my favorites. I’m making it bold so that it’s more visible)

“Relax, go under sofa or whatever is best place for you.”

“ZPP, not Zina.”

“Off we start”

“Alexa, I am not asking you, switch off, Alexa, Alexa, thank you.”

“Tangent tangent tangent secant secant secant secant tangent”

“You need to respond, it is why police respond.”

“Its been one minute, I will count one minute from our time.”

“He is doing simultaneously Step 1 and Step 2! I love you!”

*leaning in and whispering into the computer, so just one student will hear* “Can you hear me? Psst can you hear me? Turn in your homework!”

“Gabby, open your face.”

“You have 9 minutes to relax.”

"Examples, they are clear? Good color?"

"Who is joining shout?"

“Everything: Mr. G is doing everything thoroughly, digging, digging, digging. Where is digging?”

“Coming to this minus, says, ‘Hello!’.”

“The secret is easy: you don't do any stupid things.”

“I will introduce the basic things, and skeleton.”

“Margaux, show me your face. I have forgot already in two months.”

“Drink coffee, oops, tea... talk to your dog... make your cat happy... keep energy up.”

"Just take in your bloodstream"

“Why are you running in orchard, picking wegetables.”

“In many countries. In Ukraine, we had Chernobyl and stay at home, in Africa, we had disease outbreak, no tvs. Now. I am good at distance learning.” (He’s from Ukraine and also taught in Africa)

“See they are asking you? Did you get four? If you didn’t get four, you have a problem?”

��I know, I know, but they are more mistakes here, they are playing tricks, they are wrong.”

“Grudge on you, very big grudge on you.”

“You see, I am covering.”

“Don’t jump to conclusion, good teams don’t jump to conclusion. Now jump to conclusion.”

Anastasiya “Play ocean sounds for one hour.” Mr. G “You have to go somewhere?”

Cole plays music, Mr. G says “Not funny.”

“Seventh grade are all five, five musketeers.”

“We are 15 already which means someone else is here”

“So far, I am boxing you.”

“Herrings are little fish that Russians love, not Ukranians.” 

“In Zambia there are potholes in the road. So I would fill them in with gravel. Now we are going to do that with your knowledge.”

“Cinderella had to get peas from sand. And she shook the blanket. Use BUCK.” (He often tells us to shake our heads)

“Please guys, open your faces.”

“You are like little red riding hood: lost.”

“To my surprise, it is time to start.”

“Now it is time to collect stones.”

“What will you do in Europe?”

“I don't like that it’s excluded, because 2 will feel excluded.”

“Infinite algebra 1”

“I am back to discuss with you our problems.”

“What is secret about? You are canceling.”

“It’s like I am merging to highway.”

“Welcome to Ukraine, my friends.”

“I have plans for you, but you will always change plans.”

“Wow, it’s attacking me from all sides! Zina in the kitchen...”

“It's like avalanche or cabbage growing, I hope paper cabbage is still growing full of your energy.”

“Be cute enough to see.”

“Give me volume! Volume, volume, volume, volume, volume!”

“I wasn’t running with you… you know, fast?”

“Three trees doesn’t make woods.” (But in Chinese two do, just saying)

“So far you are free.”

“Is there anyone falling apart, under the table, please come out. I see you.”

“What should I say now? That it is too much work, sorry.”

“The last is seesaw problem. I am joking, I don’t know if I will show you today seesaw.”

“And I will be watching you now.”

“Do you want to talk about life? We are talking about life.”

"Don't touch 7th graders, they are like a hive of bees, you never know, they will bite you."

“You are late for the date with Mr. G.”

“Someone wants to join, no.”

“Someone is just troubling us.”

“Someone is just breaking my computer.”

“There is no problem, it is my invention.” 

I will miss his class a lot.

[the-record-newspaper]

Delmas Parker: A great teacher and a great man

            Delmas Parker

By JERRY LANKFORD

Record Editor

There’s only one thing I can say about my experiences at Millers Creek Elementary and West Wilkes High  School – I carry with me few fond memories in regards to the educational parts of those years.

I did, however, make some good friends — some that I still have and speak or visit with fairly regularly, particularly Jimmie Moretz, Mark Brooks and Ricky Killen.

But, I’ve never been to a class reunion. And, unless something drastically changes my thinking, after low so much time and so much water under the bridge, it’s very doubtful that I ever will.

With that said, there were good things that happened over the course of my school years — those came in the forms of a couple of teachers who really went out of their way to show me patience, kindness and encouragement.

One was the late Lizzie Deal. She was our neighbor on Kite Road in Millers Creek and was married to my first cousin, Bobby Deal. I spent countless hours at their home next door, playing with their sons, Richey and David, who were close to my age. I was never in Lizzie’s class, but she was very nurturing toward me, particularly when she discovered my love for history.

The focus of this column however, is my sixth-grade teacher, Delmas Parker.

At the time I went to school there, Millers Creek Elementary was in the building that now houses Millers Creek Baptist Church on Boone Trail. Mr. Parker’s classroom was located at the top of the stairs on the gymnasium side of the school.

The best I can recall, I had his class during the afternoon. He taught language arts and social studies, which were my favorites.

Mr. Parker came to like me despite my horrible and disruptive ways. And, in return, I developed a great respect for this kind and gentle spirited man.

Several weeks ago, I spoke with Mr. Parker, who is now 81, via phone from his home in Clemmons. I told him I wanted to interview him for a column. He seemed surprised. But after a bit of coaxing, he related to me a brief history of his life.

Mr. Parker was born in Gaston County on April 23, 1938, to parents Delmas and Helen Parker. He is married to Sue Lewis Parker from Ashe County, whom he met while teaching at West Jefferson School. They have a son, Kevin, and daughter-in-law, April, and three grandchildren, Danielle, Luke, and Sara.

But, let’s backtrack a bit.

When asked about his career as an educator, Mr. Parker said, “It was a slow process in the beginning.”

He explained that his parents had not had many educational opportunities. His father had a seventh-grade education, while his mother only went as far as the fourth grade.”

Mr. Parker looked back on his childhood and recalled the time he was diagnosed with “a bad case of rheumatic fever” at age 11.

“I spent a year in bed, looking out the window,” he said. “My mother and my aunt would go to the library and bring me book after book. I read all kinds of books. But, (Charles Dicken’s) ‘David Copperfield’ opened a whole new world for me. I knew more about David Copperfield than I did about myself. That book helped me get started.”

The first college he attended was Charlotte College.

“At first I planned to take engineering courses then, I became interested in the idea of teaching,” he said. “From there, I went to Appalachian State Teachers College.”

He worked various jobs to pay for his education.

“I started teaching at West Jefferson when I was 26 or 27,” Mr. Parker said. “I hadn’t finished college. In the summer I would go back to school and finally received my bachelor’s degree when I was about 28. Before that, I had an old grammar school certificate to teach first through eighth grades.”

When he got his BS, he went on to acquire his master’s degree, “the same way, working on it in the summer,” he said.

In 1966, his focus shifted.

“I was teaching in West Jefferson and we were watching Walter Cronkite one night on TV. His segment was about integrating schools in South Carolina. The report stated the white teachers left after this happened.”

Mr. Parker applied for a position in Lamar, S.C. where he taught African-American students.

“The only problems I had were dealing with antiquated buildings and books,” he said.

When he came back from South Carolina, his father-in-law, B.F. Lewis, who had been a teacher in Ashe County, knew Mr. Cowles, the principal at Millers Creek Elementary.

“Sue and I were living in a trailer park near Boone,” Mr. Parker said. “Mr. Cowles came and talked to me about coming to Millers Creek. I went there, and signed a one-year contract, teaching eighth-grade language arts and social studies (that was in 1969). I got along really well with Mr. Cowles.”

Wayne Barker later became principal and Mr. Parker went on to teach sixth-grade and seventh-grade classes.

“When I was there, there were only two sixth-grade teachers,” he said.

Mr. Parker had found a home at Millers Creek Elementary School. He wound up teaching there for 28 years.

“I saw a lot of people come and go at Millers Creek,” he said. “I worked with a lot of good teachers and I worked for some great principals.”

I openly admit that during my elementary school years I was mean as a striped snake. And, I felt the sting of countless paddlings — yes, they really used to do that — but I never cried.

Some of those teachers Mr. Parker referred to above — it was made very apparent — didn’t think much of me and my, let’s just say, rowdy ways. I’ll not name names because they are still alive, but I distinctly recall a couple of stinging comments made by two of my mentor/educators.

One came in either the winter of 1976 or spring of 1977, when my father, Sammie Lankford, was dying from cancer. I was entering this teacher’s classroom, laughing with a friend. That teacher said to me, “What have you got to laugh about? Your father is dying.”

Another came the next year when a teacher announced in front of the entire class that he was “certain that Jerry Lankford would spend his entire adult life in prison.”

Well, so far, so good.

I told Mr. Parker about those comments. “That’s not how you talk to a student,” he said. “You try to encourage them.”

His classroom was like a soothing, kind, and compassionate oasis for me.

Mr. Parker retired in1998, but came back to fill in for sick teachers and substitute when needed.

Mr. Parker knew nearly my entire family.

“I remember your mother, Willa Mae, very well,” he said to me. “She was a very sweet lady. And, she was very concerned about your education. I’d see her coming up the stairs and I knew she was here to talk about Jerry.”

He also taught my sister, Ellen.

About Ellen, Mr. Parker said, “She was very intelligent. She was perfect in her work and very conscientious. She always used precise language. She was a great student in all her subjects and an avid reader. When she finished her work, she’d have a book open and reading.”

My sister said Mr. Parker was one of her all-time favorite teachers and recalled him loaning her a copy of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – some heavy duty reading for your average sixth-grader, but not for Ellen.

After he had come out of retirement, he also taught my two oldest daughters, Jennifer and Anna.

“Jennifer was in the seventh grade when I taught her,” Mr. Parker recalled. “She was shy, but sweet. She was easy to talk to.”

Jennifer remembers Mr. Parker well and fondly.

Anna was either in the sixth or seventh grade when he was her teacher. “Anna never talked much,” he said. “She was sweet, but you never knew what she was thinking.”

Finally, I just had to ask, “How would you describe me as a student?”

Mr. Parker paused a moment, then said, “You were all boy.”

A very polite euphemism, I must say.

Back in my elementary school days it was semi-customary to buy your teachers Christmas presents. The year I was in Mr. Parker’s class, I remember picking out his present at the old Roses store where Melody Square is now. It was a porcelain figurine of a Revolutionary War soldier.

“I still have it on my mantle,” Mr. Parker said. “It’s always been very special to me.”

When asked if he had any idea how many students he taught during his 28-year stint at Millers Creek, Mr. Parker estimated the number at more than 2,000.

Over the years, Delmas Parker has also been very active in the Democrat Party, having even ran for 10th District Congress in 2000 against Republican Cass Ballenger.

“I didn’t do so well,” he said with a laugh.

When asked to sum up his educational career, Mr. Parker said, “I am proud to have been a teacher. I’m proud to be a teacher today.”

He continued, “A teacher is almost immortal. A good teacher does not die. He continues to live through his students. He should see the potential and good in each student and try to bring that out in each of them. I really believe that. That’s my philosophy. Each classroom is a little community, and each student is a part of that community. Some are rich, some are poor, you have all that. You try to bring that community together as something good. It’s not just what you learn in books. It’s developing a sense that you can do great things in life. Character is so important. That comes from the way you treat a student. They are all one of God’s children, no matter where they come from.”

Delmas Parker…a great teacher, a great man, and truly, also a Child of God.

 Note: Mr. Parker added, “If any of my former students would like to contact me, I’d love to hear from them.”

He can be reached at delmasparker@gmail.com

 Jerry Lankford has been editor of The Record since February 1999. He has worked as a professional journalist for more than 30 years. He can be reached at 336-667-0134 or at jerrylankford@yahoo.com