When Shayla Met Zephyr
A chance meeting at a blessing of the animals ceremony
by Elizabeth Kaldeck Smith, published on Medium on 9/22/21
Photo by Matt Nelson on Unsplash
Shayla to the Rescue
Shayla (Standard Poodle Extraordinaire), who I introduced to Medium readers back in July, wasn’t socialized with other dogs while growing up. She was always the only dog in the house. The times she encountered other dogs were at the groomer or when our next door neighbor’s dog wandered into our yard and pooped in our garage or went into her yard. This dog, a tiny Pomeranian named Rusty, was unleashed in a town which requires leashes for dogs.
Rusty was delusional. He thought that we were trespassing on “his” property and would chase us while nipping at our feet when we were entering the house, car, or garage. My husband and I shouted at him to frighten him away,
A Sixth Grade Nightmare
But was it a lesson in tyranny?
By Elizabeth Kaldeck Smith, published on Medium on 5/10/23
Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash
It’s an understatement that teachers can have a major impact on our lives. Back in August 2022, I wrote about one of my favorite teachers, Miss Bennett, in “How My Second Grade Teacher Was Way Ahead of Her Time. But did she also save my life?” That experience is in stark contrast to what happened with my sixth-grade teacher, the focus of this story. I changed the names of both teachers in these stories.
Meet Miss Landry
My sixth-grade teacher, Miss Landry, was a meanie. Her reputation for being tough preceded her wherever she went. Her students just hoped to be able to get through the year without too much crying or throwing up. The kids feared her and cringed at the thought of being in her class. I don’t remember throwing up before or during school, so I must have been coping with the stress as best I could.