[Sidenote: Personal Remarks]
Miss McPheag was the teacher, red-haired and not to be imposed upon.
George Ray, also red-haired, was in her third grade. Seeing him the
center of a giggling circle one cold January day, Miss McPheag thought
mischief might be brewing, and kept a weather eye upon the group.
Suddenly, George raised his voice and called out,
“Say, Teacher, is your name Miss McFig or Miss McPig?” Quick as a flash
Miss McPheag answered, “It’s Miss McPheag, and if I ever hear you call
me anything else you’ll not know your own name when I catch you.”
This retort came with such energy that it awed George and all his
classmates. They never called her anything but her right name so long as
they were in the schoolhouse; but one afternoon, late in the year, Miss
McPheag found this couplet penciled on a fence near the schoolhouse;
“Miss McPhig,
She ain’t so big.”
It hurt her, for she knew the spirit that prompted the silly jingle. She
did not realize that she had signally failed to measure up to a great
opportunity to replace the manners of smartness and pertness with those
of respect and consideration.