His Students Agree: He’s Not Boring
Jamaica Day was the funniest, the girls in Mike Clabby’s class agreed.
“He came in, said `Hey, it’s Jamaica Day.’ He had on a flower necklace, a basket on his head, green dreds (dredlocks).” Katie Roberge laughed, then hurried to add, “He was singing into the dirty plunger he uses as a microphone.”
Just another day in eighth-grade graphic arts at Lakes Middle School. Following the advice of “Singin’ in the Rain” funny man Donald O’Connor, Mike makes ‘em laugh.
“I like having fun,” he says, sheepish as a boy headed for the principal’s office. “I had a teacher in high school who was hilarious. I sprinted to his class, worked real hard for him.”
Mike’s storage room is full of wigs, helmets, breastplates, fake weapons. He also teaches history, sometimes as Thomas Jefferson, explorer Hernando Cortez, or a caveman.
“He makes it less boring,” Teira Johnson says, elbowing her friend into belated agreement.
Mike vowed in college that he would never bore his students. Twenty years of teaching haven’t weakened his resolve. Stories still slip from his lips like deals from a car salesman.
Some students aren’t sure if he really was raised by pygmies, if his grandmother really left him a money-packed suitcase he can’t open until he’s 60, if he really can talk to people in other countries on the school’s defunct 1953 intercom system.
“I just want to get the kids’ attention,” he says innocently. “I like them. They make me laugh, keep me young.”
They like him, too, and forgive him when he gets angry (he has no problem apologizing to them) and learn from him.
“He makes you want to do more for him,” Katie says. “He could teach other teachers how to have fun.”
Scurry Up
You have to love the sound the name makes - I-defy. It’s so appropriate for high-schoolers. But IDFY or Idaho Drug Free Youth is hardly a group of troublemakers. These kids preach the uncoolness of drugs - and do it well.
So it’s worth walking or running three miles in the Leprechaun Scurry March 4 to help the Coeur d’Alene High and Lake City High IDFY chapters raise money for the cause.
For past scurriers, the race has moved to North Idaho College this year. Pay $10 by Monday and get a T-shirt for your effort, or $5 just for the pleasure of running. Call Donna Messenger at 667-7743 for details.
The People Speak
Even if you’re not a vet, Veterans of Foreign Wars contests are worth entering. Coeur d’Alene’s Jessica Dempster won $600 for her speech on democracy. And the VFW is offering more awards for high school students in its Patriotic Art Contest.
They’ll take anything in watercolor, pen and ink, pencil, pastel, tempera, crayon, charcoal or oil. Call 773-1203 for details. Entries are due April 15.
Whistle While You Work
Not that many people boast about their jobs. I have to admit, my job is fun. I get to talk to different people about those personal issues polite folks don’t bring up. And then I get to tell everyone what I found out. Only talk show host Ricki Lake could be happier.
What is the best job in the Panhandle (if it’s not mine)? And who are the great bosses out there? Here’s your opportunity to make big points. Send your nominees to Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814; fax to 765-7149; or call 765-7128.