Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for September 10, 2023

Danae all you want, Kate is right

Danae’s theory seems to me to be right. I’ve never seen teachers in the summer. And I’m 82.

My mom knew all our teachers. By sight and even socially if they were willing. Thus, in the summer she’d see and start talking to some adult or other at the store… and only after a bit would I realize I knew the adult as a teacher. Because context. And because the school context involved a very different power structure than “meet Mom’s friend”.

Some of my teachers actually lived in my neighborhood, but I never saw them. My mom used to see them went they came to vote.

Since my father was in the Air Force and we moved almost annually, seeing my teachers during the summer was very unlikely.

And I love Kate’s explanation!

Teachers live in gated communities where children are not allowed.

Maybe ‘cause they’re all in the Virgin Islands, regaining their sanity.

I saw my favorite teacher all year round. (Miss you Mom.)

I also wondered the same thing when I was a kid!!!

most of my teachers were nuns.. yeah. and my dad was a teacher so that brought most of the lay teachers into the realm of humanity for me, lol But i never saw teachers in the summer either, unless it was at a picnic my father’s collegues invited us to.

I’m in school and I can’t see any teachers because I keep my eyes closed.

I didn’t want to see teachers in the summer.

They were all in Europe or Tahiti or somewhere, on that sweet teacher salary.

They used to take summer jobs.

Well, my son’s a teacher, but A) he doesn’t live in the town he teaches in, and B) he works all summer at another job to pay the bills.

I see teachers at the beach all summer long. They are life guards,beach groomers and beach pass sellers.

Teachers are mostly in school during the summer learning to be teachers.

Good one , Kate

You don’t see Santa in the summer either

I grew up in a small town and saw the teachers frequently all year long.

You don’t see teachers all summer is because they’re busy working on their plans for the coming year and buying supplies with their own money to ensure every student has a good start. Some have part time jobs.

There is an occasional problem for teachers who live, teach, and shop in a small rural community. Example; I’m picking over the veg bins when a lady walks up and says, Mr. B, how’s my daughter doing?

I taught a 130 students per day, so I look at her and try my best to figure out who she’s asking about. She doesn’t resemble any student I was teaching, so no help there. I had never seen her at any teacher conference. But at least I knew the student’s gender, otherwise I would have hit the wall.

So, I winged it. She’s dong fairly well right now. As I remember, she is on time with her work. But I think she needs to speak up more often during the question sessions. Then I held my breath, hoping she would call it done or at least not come back with questions about grades. But she said thank you and went on her way.

I grabbed a half dozen of something and hit the register and the trail home. From then on, I drove a half hour to a store in another community.

Teacher’s unions are the largest and most powerful unions in this country. Their salary, health plans, and pensions are among the most generous. During the pandemic they kept the schools closed, ruining the educations of thousands of children. So I will keep my sympathy for people who deserve it.

Both my parents were elementary school teachers. However, my father carried mail during the summer to help make ends meet while my mother stayed home to make sure we didn’t get into too much trouble, as at that time “freeranging” was the norm.

Probably because the were taking their tax deductible vacation. Just make sure you show you class some pictures and pretend you are teaching them some history.

Hibernate, winter sleep, Estivate, Summer sleep

I remember the strip where Calvin was stunned his mother saw his teacher at the supermarket over the summer. He thought teachers slept in coffins for the summer break. Though that also showed his opinion of his teacher.

Better get Danae some ointment for that burn.

Having been a teacher for 32years I categorically deny that. …um kinda

It’s because it’s so expensive to live in a school district worthy of Danae’s presence that teachers can’t afford to live anywhere near there

Who says teachers are human?

(admires art of this cartoon)

no more than teachers get paid, it’s a given they don’t go on expensive vacations for the summer.

They don’t hibernate. They estivate. (Picky, picky, picky…)

My third grade teacher (who I had a crush on), used to work at a hobby shop during the summer…guess teacher’s salaries were never that great.

They all leave the country so they won’t see you.

Ms. Wormwood?

“What’s all this I hear about not seeing any T-shirts in the summer?” —Emily Litella

I have a friend who is a retired high school teacher and ‘school’ is not part of her vocabulary in the summer. Most teachers who keep taking courses to get better pay do make good money, I was shocked when I found out how much she makes a year.

You don’t see teachers in the summer because they are all back in school themselves to update their credentials so they can keep teaching. or holding down a temporary job. or both.

Between my freshman and sophomore years in high school I saw my PE teacher working in the sporting goods store where I bought a swimsuit.

As a teacher, I am always amused when I encounter a student outside of class and see the surprise look on their face in discovering that I actually go to a grocery store. We do escape our caves on occassion……

Kate nails it again with the right answer.

Who says being book smart doesn’t help in the real world?

The dungeon the teacher lives in is located under the school. ;-D

I’m living next to a family that has two senior school student sons; their mother is a teacher .. they never DON’T see a teacher!

One of your absolute VERY best, Mr. Miller!!!!!

I think Katie’s on to something. That would explain why I’ve never seen bigfoot or an alien being.

I used to see them in summer in my small town – they’d be working at Safeway with me.If they have enough pay they can actually take summer OFF, we’ve improved as a society. They put in enough hours in 9 months for a full year.

It is a hypothesis not a theory.

As a retired community college instructor, I am happy to see that the vast majority of the comments today support, rather than denigrate, my fellow teachers.

They wear disguises that make them look like normal people.

His argument leaves a lot to be desired. For one thing, it assumes that teachers are human.

Probably for the same reasons I didn’t see any of my students: we don’t go to the same places. The only two places I’ve run into former students is at Walmart, and my credit union (one of my students works there)

I especially liked the claws on the teacher as she came out of estivation. Lol