REMEMBERING
AN EDUCATIONAL ICON
By Nowell Briscoe
In the field of education, it is said it takes only a minute to recognize
a special teacher, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them and an entire
lifetime to forget them.
Nanette Robison, who died on July 24th in North Carolina at
the age of 90, was the perfect mixture of teacher and educator. The standards
she set in her classes were high in hopes her students would learn the necessary
lessons of our American heritage and to thrive in the world which we, her
students, were about to embark upon.
In a tribute to teachers in 1927, Jane Butler wrote, “A teacher must
have the patience of a turtle and the wisdom of Solomon. A teacher must each
year send 30 children to another teacher, proudly, lovingly, sadly; and await 30
more with ready wit, love and eagerness.”
From 1943 until 1974, Nanette fulfilled her quota with exacting
professionalism, saying farewell and hello to hundreds and hundreds of students
during her years teaching at Monroe High School.
During the summer of 1943, Monroe School Superintendent Bates Causey
drove to the small Georgia town of Pinehurst to offer 20 year old Miss Nanette
Snelling the position of girl’s physical education teacher and basketball
coach for his school. The story goes that when Mr. Causey presented himself at
the front door, Nanette greeted him in a halter and short shorts, having just
finished washing her hair.
Nanette took the job and was a bit surprised he hired her given the
initial way they were introduced.
She moved to Monroe and lived for a time at the Greer House on Broad
Street, then moved to Mrs. Johnson’s Boarding House and from there to the old
Hotel Monroe, where she met her future husband, James B. (Jim) Robison, who,
along with Kenon Walters, were managing the hotel.
She and Jim were married in 1945 and lived at the hotel until moving out
to their farm in 1949 where she lived until several years ago when her health
declined.
After serving three years as phys. ed & basketball coach, Nanette was
offered the position teaching American History, a course that would land her
legendary status among not only her students but the faculty as well.
During her years teaching American History she was described as “Hard
as nails”, “Toughest teacher in school”, “You really had to study in her
classes”.
But at the same time comments like “The best teacher in the entire
school”, “Strict but fair”, “Her way of teaching makes you want to
learn”, along with “I will forever be grateful for what Mrs. Robison taught
me”, evened out the list.
For the generations of students who sat before her desk, Nanette Robison
and American History were intertwined.
You could not think of one without thinking of the other.
If truth were told, I have a strong suspicion Nanette loved that because
it defined her as a teacher, teaching what she loved.
Aside from teaching American History Nanette taught the journalism
classes which published the high school newspaper, the “Monroe High Life”,
along with being the sponsor for the high school annual.
She was adamant the students in her journalism classes be as accurate,
exact and defining in gathering the information for the school paper as she was
for the history themes and essays she required her students write for their
classes.
After taking over the history classes, Nanette sought a textbook she felt
described and explained her subject in the most comprehensive yet understandable
way for her students to learn.
The book she chose, “A History of Our Country”, was written by Dr.
David Saville Muzzy, a professor of history at Columbia University. Nanette
explained to the board of education the merits of this particular history book
which they adopted because she endorsed and recommended it. When she retired in
1974, a version of that textbook was still being used by the students. Years
ago, she gave me the copy she taught from. I consider this book one of the
treasures in my library.
The author Richard Rodriquez remembered with fondness and appreciation
the effect one particular teacher held for him, so much so that he said, “When
I was in high school, I admitted to my mother I planned to become a teacher.
That seemed to please her.
I did not tell her it was not the occupation of teaching I yearned for as
much as something more elusive: I wanted to be like my teacher, to possess her
knowledge, to assume her authority, her confidence and ultimately a teacher’s
persona.”
No one can doubt the power of a teacher to dramatically change the lives
of her students; the ability to make them feel noticed, heard and most
importantly understood. Nanette knew this lesson quite well and practiced this
every day of her teaching career.
Nanette was the inspiration for many of her students to follow in her
footsteps. One friend, now a retired teacher, recalled how, while in her
classroom, she studied her methods, her mannerisms and even her footsteps to
ensure when she did become a teacher she wanted to emulate as closely as
possible Nanette’s style of teaching.
I can say in all honesty she succeeded admirably.
When
the 1974 school year ended, Nanette taught her final class, closed that well
annotated American History book for the last time, erased the blackboard, graded
her last test papers, turned in her grades and locked the door to her classroom
for the last time, saying goodbye to three decades of giving of herself and her
knowledge to those bright, eager faces she looked out upon from her desk.
The late Andy Rooney captured perfectly Nanette’s essence as a teacher
as only he could when asked to comment on that profession.
Based on his remarks I think he very possibly might have had a teacher
similar to Nanette.
He wrote: “Teachers who have plugged away at their jobs for twenty,
thirty and forty years are heroes.
I suspect they know in their hearts they have done a good thing, too and
are more satisfied with themselves than most folks are.
Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us.
Teachers are luckier than most…..they have thousands of people who
remember them the rest of their lives.” Who could ask for a better tribute?
In
1965 the Monroe High School annual was dedicated to her.
The quote from Chaucer perfectly summed up her life: “Gladly would she
learn and gladly teach.” No one did it better with such poise, knowledge and
grace.
The
blackboard is empty; the textbooks are closed; our lessons with her are over.
She gave her family, students and friends more than she ever knew simply by
being in our lives.
With just the right amount of chalk, words and challenge she changed our
lives for the better without our realizing it.
The ideals, goals and standards she passed on to us will remain with us
the rest of our lives.
Nanette
Robison has now transitioned into Monroe’s history.
When the story of the educational system for Monroe is written, she will
stand tall among the pages as one of the finest, most dedicated and appreciated
teachers who stood before a class.