Evelyn Miller Moinet
Norton High School – Norton, Ohio USA
By: Dorothy Sisk
Evelyn Miller Moinet invited me as a sophomore to attend her Senior English class at Norton High School in Norton, Ohio. Discussions in her class encouraged us to ponder Who are you? and she explained that we were a blend of our upbringing, experiences, personality, and DNA and no two of us were exactly the same, we were all unique. She told us to own your quirks, to love your flaws and failure can be a lesson. She had a great sense of humor and closed that discussion with a quotation from Dr. Seuss “You are you! And now isn’t that pleasant! She always said, look where you are going, not where you have been, to free us of ruminating about past experiences.
We called her “Teach” and she was conscientious, open to new experiences both mental and physical. With us she was extroverted, energized by her interactions with us, but introverted in her need for quiet moments to indulge in her passion for poetry, notably for Mary Oliver who became a favorite of mine as well. Teach would read poetry of Mary Oliver and I remember The Journey which I keep on my desk today. She said she loved Oliver because her words soothe and introduce ideas that delight. I findOliver uplifting and full of courage and I love her emphasis on the natural world. One of my favorite things to do after school, was to run back to the woods near our property, climb a tree, sit on a branch, and read poetry and pretend to be Jo from Little Women.
In my Junior year, Teach asked me if I would like to visit Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio for a weekend poetry festival, and I was elated to have an opportunity to visit the campus. Three of us from her class visited the campus and walked behind Teach, noting that she knew almost everyone and how friendly and engaging she was with the faculty. We attended a session by Mom Eckler, an English professor on a celebration of poetry. And she read many of the poems Teach had introduced us to including Rumi and Hafiiz as well as Whitman and Emerson. I had not thought of attending college, neither of my parents went to college and did not encourage me to attend, partly from the financial aspect and thinking I should pursue my commercial emphasis in high school with shorthand and typing and become a secretary. Teach opened a new lens for my life and I applied and was accepted to Mount Union. Teach always said fight for your dreams and have the courage to follow your heart. She also said life is a journey, a journey of self-discovery and gave each of us a pillow at graduation from high school saying Life is a Journey. I still have that pillow!
In private discussions with us, she said what seems to matter in the end is not so much what happened to us, but how we perceive what happens to us. I have used this guide throughout my life journey. She also talked about the importance of perseverance and setting “stretch goals” to improve yourself and to find a sense of purpose. At Mount Union, I found a passion for teaching, and I wanted to be the kind of teacher Teach was, inspiring the best in her students.
After graduation from Mount Union, and a journey in education, through a MA and two doctorates and working for the federal government directing the Office of Gifted & talented in D. C., Mount Union asked me to be on the Board of Education and we met annually in Alliance, Ohio. Each year I would visit with Evelyn and Chuck her husband with a fellow student from my high school class, have ice cream and discuss great ideas and works like Paul Coelho’s The Alchemist and a special celebration when Mary Oliver received the Pulitzer prize in 1984.
Teach was the first teacher that helped me understand my giftedness and life journey as an opportunity to serve, and I still ponder Mary Oliver’s great question that Teach introduced to us: What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? She helped me see that it can be a wild and precious life! She passed in 2009 after 37 years of teaching in the Norton schools and was past president of the Norton School Board for 12 years. Teach was my mentor and guide and I think of her daily and emulate her with my students.