Bare Feet in School, Barefoot Teachers, Happy Memories!

 

It doesn't happen often, but, to me, barefoot teachers are
just a special kind of cool!

       
       Waaaaaaaaaay back when I started this blog two years ago, when I mentioned a lifelong love of bare feet, and a complete disdain for wearing shoes, I referenced two teachers that I had who both taught their classes barefoot, at least 50-75% of the time, and how that fact was one that played a key part in shaping my "bare feet attitude". Let's have some fun now, and expand on that point.. 
     In the junior high that I went to, it was not uncommon for me, or my friends, to slip off our shoes in class, or in the carpeted library (especially there!), to be more comfortable, whenever we felt like it. No, I didn't have shoes off everyday, but it was definitely not a rare thing to see 9th grade me with my shoes/sneakers off, tucked under my chair, whenever the need to relax in class suited me. My 9th grade social studies teacher (who eventually became the school's principal), Ms. Kroon, was a middle aged woman with fiery red "ginger" hair, who was very nice, very helpful (if you needed it), and very quiet & demure. Either her feet were always killing her in high-heels, or she just hated wearing shoes as much as I did, because she almost ALWAYS took her shoes off to teach class! I vividly remember the constantly repeating scene like it was yesterday: She would have her shoes on at the start of every class, but after taking attendance and starting the lesson for that day, there would come a point where she would go sit down at her desk, while we were all quietly reading or writing something. Then, like clockwork, "ka-klunk, ka-klunk", you'd hear the sound of her heels coming off and dropping to the floor. As a 15 yr. old bare feet addict, this made me smile every single time I heard it, and it would be at least three times, in a five day school week, that Ms. Kroon's shoes were being discarded. She was the first "authority figure", outside of my own family, that validated my own desire to not wear shoes, and I loved it.

An internet photo I found that bascially illustrated
 my behavior during the hot May/June
 days of high school! :)

      Fast forward three years, to high school 12th grade, and my math teacher was Mrs. Hickey, another very nice & kind teacher (one of my favorites over those three years of high school) who I was lucky enough to have on my schedule. Back then, going barefoot (or walking around carrying your sneakers/shoes) at my high school, was almost commonplace. Not like a beach, mind you (most students did keep their shoes on), but, on any given day, you'd see people in class with shoes off, see people strolling thru the halls with no shoes on (one of my best friendships in life, with my high school friend, Jennifer, was started by us noticing each others' bare feet in the hallway between classes!), or people chillin' out in the student commons (hangout area) without shoes. During the cooler months, this usually meant socks on, but in May, when it started getting hot & humid outside (and worse inside, with crappy air conditioning, or no working AC, whatsoever), then you'd start seeing more & more barefoot students at various points throughout the day. Again it wasn't anywhere near the majority of kids, but it was definitely out there. I was one of those who would sometimes lock my sneakers (or sandals) in my locker, and just do the last 2 or 3 periods of the school day barefoot, especially if gym was done for the day, and I wouldn't be needing those sneakers for any athletic stuff. So, my math class was 7th period (second to last class for the school day), and thus, it was very easy for me to come happily strolling in, totally barefoot, not a care in the world. Sometimes, Mrs. Hickey would already be barefoot, having removed her shoes during the class before. Other times, she would just start class with shoes on, get us working on something math-related, and then slip off her heels, leaving them at her desk, and teach the rest of class barefoot, including writing math lesson material on the chalkboard, and walking up to individual students' desks to assist them, staying barefoot the whole time. Again, I absolutely loved it! To me, that was more proof that I wasn't a complete weirdo for wanting to be comfortable & barefoot for as much as I could possibly get away with it! But the coolest thing was the one day that I was exiting her class, as it finished up, barefoot (because we had eaten lunch down at Crab Meadow Beach, and I had left my shoes in the car upon returning to school), and she poked me on the arm as I was walking out the door. As she looked down at my bare feet, toes peeking out from the legs of my blue jeans, Mrs. Hickey smiled broadly, and told me, "Looks like I'm not the only one who loves not wearing shoes!" .. Validation! Not that I ever needed it, but it was sure nice to have it..   And don't even get me started on my "bare feet in college" years.. LOL!   ..So, teachers, take your shoes off once in awhile, go barefoot in class! I bet there'll be more than one student who loves that you do..  :)

Bare feet for a good cause still means bare feet in class! Happiness!!