Favorite teachers

I enjoyed many of my McDonogh teachers. So, I'm going to try to write a blurb about the ones that I enjoyed, starting with 7th grade. For those of you who are classmates, please understand that the first few you may read about are not the only ones I thought to be great teachers, but are simply the ones I started writing about.

Mrs. Barbara Smoot - 7th grade math
I don't remember exactly what they called the version of math that Mrs. Smoot taught us in 7th grade. What I do remember, is that it was vastly different than the 'rithmatic that I had learned back on the Eastern Shore. Mrs. Smoot was very patient and willing to answer every one of my questions, no matter how dumb the question. If she hadn't been willing to do that, I don't think I would have been able to handle the material the following year.

Mr. Salvatore "Chip" Giardina - 8th grade math
Chip Giardina was young, cool, and a McDonogh grad when he arrived on the scene to teach us 8th grade algebra. At the height of the Middle School hormone ooze, this guy took our best shots and dished them back in very creative ways. Chip could teach, but he could also crack up the class of guys with his jokes. I still remember his joke about the 'golden toilet seat". I also remember the time that he sent Nollie Wood out for a lap around the track that he timed with his stopwatch. Class rumor was that no one ever beat Nollie's record.

Mr. Guenther Sonntag - German I, II, III (9th, 10th, and 11th grades)
Guenther Sonntag was a great language instructor. The class of 1972 was the first class where freshmen were allowed to take German I. We shared the class with members of the class of 1971. German was reputed to be the harder language to master and the middle school had not allowed 8th graders to sign up for it. Guenther promised us that we'd have to work hard for three years but our fourth year would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, he left after year three and our new teacher didn't get the note that German IV was to be easy. Guenther had emigrated from Germany after World War II and was not too fond of "the little corporal" as he referred to Hitler.