A SPECIAL TEACHER

Her students in the 1950’s knew her as Miss Boa. Her students in the ‘60’s and 70’s knew her as Mrs. Woodman. Whatever name you knew her by, I’m willing to bet, that if you were fortunate enough to have had her as a teacher, you will have some very fond memories. I know I do…

The English department at South, during my years there (1961-66) was an exceptional one. Lead by the indomitable Jessie MacFarlane, it boasted such fine teachers as Tom Crerar, Fraser Boa, and Marion Woodman. Although I did not have the opportunity to learn from all of these fine teachers, I was in Fraser’s class for two years (gr. 11 & 13) and in Marion’s class for one (gr. 12). While I have some great memories of Fraser’s freewheeling teaching style and the lively class discussions that regularly took place, it was his sister, Marion, who really opened my mind to the power of language and the fascinating depth of meaning to be found in great works of English literature.

I remember studying Steinbeck’s The Pearl and Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea and having them come alive for me in a way literature never had before. When we studied Macbeth, I found myself really understanding, for the first time, the true brilliance and power of Shakespearean drama. We explored the play in such meaningful detail, that even today several of the speeches reverberate in my mind. In particular, I remember Marion encouraging us to look at Lady Macbeth in a less superficial, one-dimensional way. Probing new psychological depths, we discovered that Lady M was not just an evil, ambitious, and manipulative woman. She was an incredibly strong woman, who loved her husband so intensely that she mistakenly sacrificed her own goodness to help him achieve what she knew he wanted. Viewed as a complex, multi-dimensional character, Lady Macbeth became a far more interesting and tragic figure.

Marion ’s insights, drawing not only on her knowledge of literature and history, but also on her highly creative intelligence, literally opened up new worlds of thought for me. Imagery, symbolism, mythological illusions – things I had never really understood or appreciated before, became fascinating and powerful keys to exploring deeper levels of meaning in the literature we studied. Never before had I enjoyed going to English class so much. Never before had I found the time going by so fast that I was actually sorry when the class was over.

There were memorable experiences outside the classroom as well, most notably our school trip to Europe in the summer of ’66. Marion and her husband, Ross, were two of our chaperones, along with Joanne Mayhew (another favourite teacher of mine). I also remember the gathering at the Woodman home after our return, when we shared pictures and stories, and presented Marion with a small wooden camel we named Sisyphus (one of her most frequent mythological references).

There is no question in my mind, that my decision to switch into Honours English at the end of my first year at Queens was strongly influenced by my positive experiences at South, particularly in Marion Woodman’s Grade 12 English class. I’m sure my decision to become a teacher three years later was also influenced by the example she set.

At the 75 th Reunion in 2003, I was delighted to have the opportunity to see Marion again, when she participated in a reading in the Writers’ Room. As I listened to her read from her most recent book, Bone, Dying into Life, describing her struggle with bone cancer, I found myself surrendering once again to the power of her voice, to the richness of her imagination and to the strength of her intelligence. As chair of the event, I had the task of thanking her after her reading, while still struggling to control the emotions she had aroused. She told me how nice it was to see me again, and that she was so happy to see that I hadn’t changed, that when she had looked out at my face that day, she still saw the same interest and enthusiasm, the same intellectual curiosity that she had seen in my face so many years ago in her grade 12 English class. Thanks Marion, for seeing those things in me in 1965. Thanks for seeing them again in 2005. You are indeed a very special teacher who has had a positive impact on my life.

Connie (Woods) Weir

Class of ‘66

INVITATION: If any readers have memories of Marion they’d like to share, or memories of another special teacher from their years at South, please send them to us. Teacher tributes will either be posted on the web or published in a future newsletter.