Tag Archives: aa milne

Belonging

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Winnie-the-Pooh_characters#Piglet

We had moved twice from our family home in a year. Ten miles down the road, different school district and easier for Dad to get to work.

This was high school. Battle. Brawn, cheerleaders and brains. I was good at English Lit and Algebra, Alex on Geometry, we all studied together.

We came up with names from A.A. Milne, and we were all supporting characters. I remember two. Alex was Tigger. I was Piglet, a tiny girl. I realize now I was probably the leader of the group. They named me as such and when a situation comes up, I just deal with it.

I had a crush on Tigger but had never dated nor wanted to do so. After all, we had to go through Geometry after Algebra. He was my saving study grace there. I wonder what he’s doing now. Probably a home and wife and kids, perhaps grandkids, I wish him well.

Twenty years ago I was a consultant for an impoverished neighborhood striving to educate their children. We had an event one day and I was given an opportunity to assess one of the parent seminars, and I learned algebra all over again. This teacher should have made Teacher of the Year nationally. I remembered! It was so easy, that I wish math and science would have been recommended for girls back in the day. In my day it was Home Economics, and I protested it by leading the team and making our theme chocolate for everything, pancakes, whatever. I wanted to take Shop but I was a girl and even went to the Principal but was disallowed because of my gender. I could make a pie, but not a lamp.

That was years ago but if we had a lot of money I’d toss it in a foundation for math and science and reward the teachers, then the students with impartial judges as to teacher and student qualifications. The emphasis would be for women to learn early on that they can write software, do any job guys do for three times more than you can make. Thank you Mr. Burgoon (grade school), and Tigger, for a bit of math. Cheers, Dee

ps Many thanks to my husband, who is great at physics lessons on the road (what kind of smoke is this and what does this factory make) who makes me admire the math geeks. Hey, I’m married to one and try not to take long car trips with him, the dog is more quiet and in back…… D

 

 

What Goes Around Comes Around

Piglet. That’s me. A.A. Milne’s character. I gave a name to all my young friends and ended up with Piglet. He was Winnie The Pooh’s closest friend. We chose by paper ballot.

I ended up becoming the supporting character in another’s life, piglet once again. Now, I’ve been lent a talking piglet to place on my key chain, so many years later. I wonder where Tigger is these days. I taught him Algebra and he taught me Geometry. No, we never went on a date, I was a kid!

Where is Eeyore? No one’s seen Christopher Robin as we never named him. I know him now as an amalgam of all the great teachers I’ve ever known and thank them for all they’ve done in their lives and for their students.

I’m looking to Piglet’s new life and not on a key fob. Piglet would always honor and protect his best friend Winnie the Pooh. Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

That’s just one Piglet scenario, thanks to a great writer and director and bad guy. Certainly Piglet will have others and use words, not swords. Thank you, everyone for The Princess Bride, also Wallace Shawn for the cliffs of insanity and the Sicilian quote about death.

Inconthieveable! Dee