Definition of of … 

Or the Day My Psych Died. Or the difference between o-f and o-f-f. I wish to thank West Bend for allowing me to procrastinate or pontificate. I have written hundreds of stories but I know nothing about the English language, even though I’ve had at least 13 years of grammar. The kicker is that in 7th grade I knew every part of speech including gerunds and particles. In high school and college I lost everything I had ever learned. In those days we diagrammed sentences and that has  long since been dropped.     

I remember first grade as if it were yesterday. We had two grades in each room, so you would think first grade might have been a bit intimidating, but I don’t remember that at all. I was ready to go to school. I think I knew how to read because we had learned a great deal in Sunday School Class. Sunday school was our nursery school and our kindergarten. 

There is one incident in first grade that etched itself in my mind. We had a test on the difference between o-f and o-f-f. I knew what the correct answer was but somehow I put down the wrong answer. I was mortified to miss that question when I knew what the correct answer was, and I never forgot it.

Then I knew exactly what the answer should have been, but to this day I struggle  with those two words. Google has 7 definitions which I find incomprehensible. Of means indicating derivation separation. Or the relationship between a scale and a value. I must rely on my fifth grade dictionary, Mr Webster. He said it’s a cause or motive or reason. He has 10 different definitions.

But, I think I finally figured it out. Of tells one what’s in your basket. “I have a basket of peaches.” Off means, “Blow the candle out show the house doesn’t burn down” “When you leave the room turn off the lights.” Now if someone would tell me what part of speech of is I would be a happy camper

I never particularly liked the first and second grade teacher. I got the impression she didn’t like me either. She had taught there for years so we knew ahead of time who our teacher would be.  I didn’t care for the 5th and 6th grade teacher. She seemed like a poor teacher to me.

The first and second grade teacher was Mary Spencer, and we had two different teachers for third and fourth. One was a Mrs Kurtz and she was a very nice. I remember my fifth grade teacher telling me one time that I was big. I thought it was derogatory, but I was big for my age.

The kicker was our 7th and 8th grade teacher was the greatest of all time. He had a reputation, as he had taught some of our parents in school. We had looked forward to having him as a teacher for years, and he didn’t disappoint. He had a reputation of being quite strict, but we knew this would be the case. We loved him as a teacher and never had a bit of trouble.  Kind of funny the guy that followed him was terrible, but it would have been hard to fill his shoes.

Milan Center Grade School will be forever a big part of my life and I shall never forget Mr Wally Kinsey. Now what part of speech did you say of is? I wonder what part of speech is is?

—James Neuhouser