by Arthur E. Foster
When I was in ninth
grade I attended a small preparatory junior high/ high school called
Oak Hill. The small private school was located three businesses away
from the corner of Sepulveda Blvd, and Plummer streets. For the first
two years I was there, the school was comprised mostly of one main
building, which at one point clearly had been a private house. At
some point this became a small private school. Later, Oak Hill High
School changed ownership, becoming North Hills Preparatory.
One day, I was in my
Spanish class patiently listening to my teacher Mr Mejohas. Senor
Mejohas was a respectful and serious man. Fairly skinny, he dressed
rather formally even on hot days he wore a long sleeved shirt, or a
jacket. He seemed to take his job, the task of teaching a few kids
elementary Spanish, very seriously.
Clearly, he was raised
in a culture where they honored their elders. Which was not the case
at our school in Los Angeles's “beautiful” San Fernando Valley,
especially with two particular girls.
From Senor Mejohas'
behavior it was clear to me that he was raised in a standard sort of
Hispanic family where the children are respectful of their elders. He
seemed surprised that spoiled teen girls in the next class would
disrupt the wisdom he was trying to impart on his class.
When the class across
the small hall became so loud they were disrupting Mr Mejohas lesson
he would walk across the hall to restore discipline. I only became
aware of the problem when Senor Mejohas became flustered, and stopped
the lesson to go discuss this with the French teacher who taught the
class, but the French teacher seemed to have left them for a short
while on their own.
They were very loud.
Mr Mejohas reported the
unruly girls to the principle of the school, Mrs Boyle. Who had been
teaching English the year before. Mrs Boyle was the young mother who
just the year before had her young son Chris in a crib in the corner
of her classroom.
While Mrs Boyle was a
kind, understanding lady, and she wanted to do right to all her
students, and, of course, be fair with the teachers now under her.
She knew she could not have one of her classes disrupted by any of
the students under her authority. She took the girls into the office,
and corrected their behavior.
I was not present so I
can only imagine what went on in that meeting. I can only report that
those girls never again made so much noise during our class.
A couple of weeks went
by. The two girls Andy Issa, and Paige Duckwald were the popular type
of girls, more interested in clothes, and boys, than their studies.
They were three grades older than myself. Growing up with two,
sometimes three older sisters in the house, I was used to such
distraction, and them being so loud did not bother me, as it had
Senor Mejohas.
Evidently, the two girls
Andy Issa, and Paige Duckwald had some time to “stew,” and I have
to assume that Mr Mejohas getting the best of them must have been a
“burn” for them.
Then one day after lunch
a big fuss erupted in the school parking lot. The word around campus
was that questionable magazines were found in Mr Mejohas' car. He had
to leave his class to go defend himself before the principle of our
school.
Long after this incident
took place, I learned the girls planted those magazines in his
unlocked car, and made it look as if they were his, and that he did
not have a thing for slutty teen white girls in skimpy clothing.
There is much I realize
I never knew, and will never know. Senor Mejohas did not lose his job
over this, but he was obviously deeply troubled.
This is just one of the
many stories about how cruel, and selfish rich girls can be. These
two girls showed no concern for anything but their own comfort and
fashionable appearance.
I strongly doubt either
girl took a moment to consider what losing his job would do to Senor
Mejohas, or his family. He was a good teacher, respectful of everyone
with whom he came in contact, exacting, but strongly committed to
doing his job.
I do understand
completely not liking another person. But making up stories to try to
get a person unjustly fired is wrong.
I don't know what
happened to the girls after they graduated. Senor Mejohas left at
the end of the year, probably because of this incident. I know the
incident hurt Senor Mejohas and the girls suffered no punishment for
an offense far worse than talking loudly. The girls showed no
integrity. Senor did.
But I would like to
know. If you know Senor or the girls, please contact me.
I thank you for taking
the time to read this. May peace be with you.
