THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
Dr. Norman
Vester Dyer, Educator and Philosopher
|
The forty-six year career as an
educator
ended for Dr. Norman Vester Dyer in Villa Rica, Georgia, after eleven
years as
principal at the high school there (1944- 1955).
He retired in 1955 from active
work as a
teacher, but not from work he loved.
One of his main aims after
retirement was
to write his memoirs. This he did in a book entitled Fugitive
from a Georgia Schoolhouse published in 1961 by
Thomasson Printing Company,
Together, these two men had been
involved
in Georgia schools as the educational systems progressed from
one-teacher
institutions to schools with multiple teachers well-qualified for the
curriculum they taught and accredited by high standards.
Home-spun with advice and
philosophy, Dr.
Dyer often quoted his "xyz" formula for success in the classroom: x -
work; y - play; z - ability to keep your mouth shut about matters that
should
be kept within the school.
His philosophy, both of life and
for
educational practice, included a ten-step ladder for success: 1.
Loyalty; 2.
Conscientious fulfillment of duty (solid work ethic); 3. No griping
about
salary, work hours, or duties; 4. No discrimination— democratic
attitude about
students; 5. Beginning with the child where he/she is and developing
his/her
potential; 6. Good discipline; 7. Friendliness; 8. Sense of humor; 9.
Doing a
good job in the teacher's own way; 10. Cooperation. (listed on pages
143-144 in
"Fugitive from a Georgia
Schoolhouse").
One of Dr. Dyer's favorite poems
was
"If" by Rudyard Kipling. He frequently quoted it in addresses to
senior classes at graduations, to the seniors in his inimitable
"guidance" classes as he sought to help them come to grips with
purposes and goals for life; and at civic clubs at which he was often
guest
speaker. Some key phrases in the poem he practiced in his life: "Keep
your
head"; "Trust yourself"; "Wait"; "Dream";
"Think"; "Lose…Start again"; "Keep your virtue";
"Fill each minute… with 60 seconds of distance run."
After his retirement, he wrote a
regular
short, pithy column in "The Villa Rican" newspaper under the
pseudonym of "Hill Billy Joe". In those columns, he gave
thought-provoking, brief views of life, and ways of making one's time
upon this
earth more productive and memorable. To end this four-part tribute to
the man
who chose to sell his farm mule to apply the money to his education in
the
early 1900's, and became a legend in Georgia education, I close with
two of his
"Hill Billy Joe" columns: " 'To live in the hearts of those we
love is not to die.' “
It is disturbing to us when we
meet people
who do not seem to care whether they live or die, or how they die. But
it gives
us a wonderful feeling when we meet people who have not thus lost their
balance. These people have a warm place in their hearts for us, and a
good wish
for our well-being. We feel that they are living for something, and
somebody,
anyone they meet.
We like to read the life history
of that
kind of person. We feel that he has left something behind that will
help those
who follow. The good things of life are brought about by these kinds of
people.
The good works they do are not 'shuffled off' when they pass on." -Hill
Billy Joe”
“'Root hog or die poor.'”
“This was an expression that was
quite
often used by one Old Timer in our community. He was an independent man
who
believed a person should work for what he gets, and not depend on some
other
fellow to keep him up.
By this philosophy of life he
worked hard,
'From sun to sun' to provide his family with the necessities of life.
He never
did let them go hungry. Every member of the large family had to work in
like
manner. He would tell them, 'If you put your feet under my table, you
have to
work.' They understood his language and abided by it. That was in the
days when
'children were to be seen and not heard.' A hard philosophy of life,
you say.
Yes. But it developed a fine bunch of independent and industrious
children into
sturdy men and women who were self-supporting." - Hill Billy Joe
At this turbulent election time,
2008, the
work, words and philosophy of educator Norman Vester Dyer bear heeding.
[Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator,
freelance writer, poet, and historian. She may be reached at
e-mail [email protected];
phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
Back To Union County, Georgia GenWeb Site