The most memorable teacher of my high school days was my civics teacher, a man named Kroeger. He had a distinct accent, German , we thought, but made the lesson absolutely clear; and with good reason. He had immigrated to the US to escape the rise of Nazism in Germany.
Each day we were tested on the previous day’s lesson. We groaned and protested, but nothing changed–Mr. Kroeger continued to pound the details of our government into our heads, always stressing that it would be our responsibility as adults to not only vote, but also take part in community affairs.
It was the fall of 1941 and inspire of the daily tests, we liked Mr. Kroeger. We were pleased that he had chosen our county because of its system of government, but mostly because he was a likable person. His lectures on our freedoms fell a little flat on kids who had never experienced anything else.
Then, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, and our level of patriotism shot up as we considered the posibility of Nazism or Fascism setting foot in our country.
Mr. Kroeger did not return the next year. Whether his contract wasn’t renewed. or he simply moved on, or, since we were at war, fighting Nazism’s take-over of Europe. he may have enlisted. Its something I’ve wondered about for years.
I am grateful for that class, although today I use Google more than my memory.
