Sunday, August 26, 2007
I was sad to read of Mr. Bielak's passing. He was my 5th grade teacher in 1967-68. Mr. Bielak was considered "strict" by most and I was a class clown, so I was the subject of his anger a few times, but he was very fair and I have only fond memories of him and his class.
He often handed out 500-word essays as punishment for some offense, until I immediately handed one in that I had pre-prepared. I'm sure he got a chuckle out of that, but never gave away his amusement.
He taught the class how to use outlines as study guides. I remember him using the overhead projector every Thursday to help us outline the current History chapter in preparation for our weekly test on Fridays.
Although Geography was not specifically taught, he played map games with us every week that gave us all a good sense of CT, the US and the world.
Mr. Bielak was one of my 2 favorite teachers and he had a very positive impact on my life.
