April Coker, Author

Author: aencoker

  • Spitting on the Chrysler

    “Don’t spit on our new car!”    My brother Allen and I sat on the hood of our brand new car (1953 Chrysler New Yorker—new to us) in the driveway of the house by the football field in Van.  Our neighbor friends Lisa and Tracy had come over to see our new car, and apparently…

  • How to Succeed as a New Teacher

    I was a new teacher once.  Fresh out of college, heart and mind full of dreams and good intentions, unjaded by the educational system, confident in my leaders, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed. Then reality hit.  And boy, did it hit.  These were the days before TTAS, STAAR, and EXCETs.  I managed to survive my first few…

  • Why I’m Happy School is Starting Again

    Ah, back-to-school time.  That season of the year when store shelves are brimming with shiny new pens, markers, notebooks, and lunch boxes, and clothing racks are stuffed with fashions for going back to school.  Parents groan because of the expense of equipping the kids with everything required for the new school year–but those shoes fit…

  • JFK and Me (or My Jackie Problem)

      No, I didn’t know President John F. Kennedy, but I would have liked to.  Unfortunately, I was only four years old when he was assassinated in Dallas in 1963.  I do remember going to the memorial service held at Van High School auditorium just afterwards.  When I developed a keen interest in President Kennedy,…

  • When the truth hurts

    I was in the veterinarian’s office the other day having a lump on my Boston terrier’s leg looked at when a woman, her six-year-old daughter, and their large dog came in.  The little girl was taken with my Molly and asked if she could pet her. “Sure,” I replied. “What’s her name?” “Molly.  See all…