Remembering Mr. Buckley

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When I was sixteen, Mr. Buckley, my tenth grade English teacher—a portly, middle-aged bachelor who wore thick, black-rimmed glasses over his dark eyes, shabby shirts and jeans, and a black tam over his balding head—brought a grocery bag full of paperback books into our classroom and dumped them on his desk. As the class watched in horrified amazement, Mr. Buckley rose to his full height which made him almost as tall as the tallest girl in the room and with a sweep of his hand pointed to the books.

“Pick one,” he commanded. “It’s time you read the classics.” We gave a collective groan but dutifully left our seats. As I looked through the pile, I spied a book with a peach and green cover. Great Expectations called to me, not because I had ever heard of Charles Dickens or wanted to make his acquaintance, but because peach and green were my favorite colors. Another book jumped from the pile. I thought it read Far From the Maddening Crowd and that was where I wanted to be so I plucked Thomas Hardy’s book from the bunch and thus began my love affair with these two authors.

As a child growing up on a lonely sideroad, by ten I had no friends except the characters in my books. As a teenager, my reading world exploded when I discovered Dickens and Hardy. Literature became a lifeline during my high school years and beyond. My only desire was to graduate from college and teach English Lit to high school students. That desire never materialized, but my love of the classics never wavered.

Copy that caught my eye

Madding, not Maddening

If you haven’t read any of them, check one out from your local library. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find between the covers.

2 Comments

  1. Such an amazing tribute to the classics! I love Charles Dickens, too, but not quite as enthusiastic about Thomas Hardy. I think I need to give his books another chance. Likely my tastes have changed since I was in my 20s! Thank you for sharing this wonderful story and the joy one teacher was able to bring into your life!!!

    • Mr. Buckley was genuinely concerned about our lack of knowledge about the classics. I devoured Hardy in my 20s & might feel differently today. About 15 years ago, I bought CDs re: some of Dickens’ lesser known books & they were amazing. Thank you, Sue, for leaving a comment here.

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