She is only about five feet tall and may never weigh more than 1 10 pounds, but Miss Bessie is an important person in the classroom. She is the only woman who is strong enough to let me read Beowulf, and then think about it foolishly for a few days, thinking that I like it. From 1938 to 1942, when I was at Bernard High School in mcminn, Tennessee, she taught me English, history, civics-and many things I didn't realize.
I will never forget the day when she scolded me for reading Beowulf.