Not all of you had to take the Schumm’s English in Junior and Senior year.  Most who did take it did probably did not have the same experience in her class that I had.

Schumm’s English was not easy. At least for me it was not.   Some days it was downright confusing. This brings to mind a conversation I had after school one day with Miss Schumm in our senior year.  I was confused about the nuances in the English language so I decided to ask for her guidance  after school one day.  In the back of my mind I thought my extra efforts and initiative might win me some "brownie points."   The conversation went something like this.

Miss Schumm, I said.  “I am sorry to always seem confused in your class but English is not an easy language to master.  My mind always asks questions. 

For example I do not understand why being called a wise man  is one thing but being  a wise guy means the opposite.

Like wise to overlook someone’s mistake is one thing but to oversee their work is the opposite.

Any why is a man who invests you money called a Broker?

But most of all Miss Schumm there is a word in English that has more meanings than any other word I can think of.   I have checked it in the dictionary where I found it listed as an adverb, a prep, an adjective, a noun and a verb.  Miss Schumm, That word is UP

It is easy for me to understand UP as meaning toward the sky, or at the top of the list.

But when we awaken, Miss Schumm,  why do we wake UP?  

Why do we speak UP?

Why do our teachers always want us to sit UP?

We are always suspicious as to  what our politicians UP to?

We always wonder if our politicians are on the UP and U P  OR   Are they  up to no good?

and why are they UP for election?

Why do politicians and issues stir UP the voters?

At a business meeting why does a topic come UP? 

Why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

In life why do couples break up and cars break down?

Why do we call UP our friends, brighten   UP our room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers, clean UP the kitchen, lock UP the house, and fix UP the old car?

Why do people line UP for for tickets? 

How does one really work UP an appitite or think UP an excuse?

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP, well that is something else all together.

There is one UP that is particularly confusing for me.  Miss Schumm.  A clogged drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.  Was it also clogged UP?

A store keeper opens UP a store in the morning and at night he closes it UP.

When rain threatens we say it is clouding UP.  When the sun breaks through the clouds we say it is clearing UP.  Normally We do not get floods because the earth soaks UP the water and the sun helps dry UP the land.

I must confess Miss Schumm.  I am kind of mixed UP about the word UP.   I did look UP the word up in my dictionary at home.  Do you know Miss Schumm that UP takes UP more than ¼ page in my big Webster’s.  There are dozens of definitions.  Finding them is pretty fast once you are UP to speed.

I was UP to it Miss Schumm, so I tried to build UP a list of the many ways UP is used.   It took UP a lot of time but I did not give UP.  I wound UP with more than 100 uses for UP

Then she said, Ed DeChant, Your assignment this month is Macbeth. Here you are thinking up an excuse not to do your assignment. And you bring up a silly questions like these questions and let it take UP your time when Shakespeare is waiting up for you.  Sometimes you can be a royal screw UP.  Your had better straighten UP and clean UP your act if you expect to get through this class.  What you do is UP to you.  But I hope you will quit messing UP.---  

Will you? I am about to give UP on you.

My quest for brownie points was looking very dim at this point.  But I had to try one more time.  Miss Schumm I said.  In the English language why do we have the number eleven.  Why is it not one teen or onety one?

With that Miss Schumm got a bit UPPITY when she yelled OUT.  Go open UP your text book and read Macbeth, NOW!!!

So much for my attempt at brownie points and to try to get Miss Schum to warm UP to me. 

So with that I shut UP and went UP to Mr. Cramer’s room where I opened UP the door and found his  friendly smile that cheered me up immediately.

Well, that is my little story of one afternoon in our senior year at GHS.

I guess now the game is UP because my time is UP.  Thank you all for putting up with all this and especially for showing up.  I guess those who did not join us were just not up to coming.

This is one of the finest classes ever to grace the halls of our beloved high school.  Raise you glass in salute to our class and all our teachers   as I say.

Click here to begin with GHS Class of 1960's 52nd reunion and 70th birthday party.

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Judy Bixler reflects on the weekend

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