I was born Dec. 30, 1960 in Memphis, Tennessee to Hugh Presley Krieger and Barbara “Babs” Meyer Krieger. My brother, Hugh Jr., is two years older. We grew up in a middle-class neighborhood where dads went to work and moms were home.
We walked to school. Our neighborhood was just one long street. We ran home to snacks and viewing television programs, such as “Batman” and “I Dream of Jeannie.” As I got older, “Partridge Family” was my favorite. Then, we either played outside or completed homework. Dinner was served at 6 p.m. and our family shared the events of the day. My brother and I cleaned the dinner dishes. Unlike the show, my mom didn’t wear pearls.
In the summer, we played with friends all day. We rode our bikes, jumped rope, created games like carnival games, played basketball at one house and baseball at another. My mom didn’t see us until dinner. However, the moms always knew where we were.
My best friend, Erin, lived across the street; she developed leukemia at age 3. Keep in mind it’s 1963. We were friends and played together until she was admitted to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I recall her coming home at age 8 and being able to attend our elementary school. The principal shared with us in a whole school assembly before her return, she would be wearing a wig due to chemotherapy. I recall being excited that Erin was able to come to school. We were playing on the school playground. A girl shouted to Erin, “Hey, Wiggy.” I knocked the girl to the asphalt playground. I was taken to the principal’s office — for the one and only time ever. The principal understood why I did what I did. Erin died of Leukemia at age 9. I came to know the blessings of St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Church was our life. We attended church on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. Most Sundays we gathered for lunch as an extended family. I have fond memories of my great grandparents, grandparents and my aunt and uncle.
In fourth grade I had a teacher, Miss Sneed, who I adored. I wanted to dress like her, speak like her. In fact, for Christmas I asked for a chalk board and a bulletin board for my bedroom. I asked my friends over and we would do crafts and decorate my bulletin board. Anytime Miss Sneed changed her bulletin board, we changed my bulletin board. She is the main reason I became a teacher.
Most folks who learn I lived in Memphis would ask if I ever met Elvis or visited Graceland. My family went to visit Graceland one time during the Christmas season. Graceland was decorated with an abundance of lights — especially blue. There was a Santa with his sleigh and reindeer on the lawn. If the gates were closed people would line up along the road and look through the gates. If the gates were open, you could enter Graceland and Elvis would personally welcome people. The gates were closed when we visited. If Elvis was in town, and he wanted to see a movie, they would close that theatre. It would say on the marquee: “Closed for Elvis.” If he wanted to go shopping, they would close the store while he shopped.
When I turned 14 our family moved to Atlanta, Georgia and I attended a public school, heretofore, I attended a girl’s school, Hutchison, in Memphis. I was so excited about going to a public school. I went to Henderson High School and I was so glad I didn’t have to wear a dress to school. My first period class was Latin I. When our teacher Mr. Hogan walked in — my first male teacher — I stood up from my seat, greeted him, “Good morning, Mr. Hogan,” and curtsied, which I had been taught to do at Hutchison. I looked around and realized I was the only one who did that. At the end of class, the teacher called me up and said, “Miss Krieger, I taught at a private school and I know where you are coming from, but if you want to survive public school, no more curtsy.”
In 1977, my sophomore year, our family moved to Oldham County. My father joined The Jenner Company, an engraving company of business letterheads. My first view of Oldham County when we got off I-71 at Buckner was there was nothing but land — no buildings, stores, nothing! There was a sign at the end of exit 17 that read, “Shaw’s Grocery and Bait.” I asked, “Dad, where have you moved us?” Dad replied, “We are moving to the country and you are going to love it.”
The first year at Oldham County High School was difficult. I was known as “the new girl” and that was an adjustment. I remember girls leaving me notes in the typewriter saying, “stay away from my boyfriend” and, of course, I didn’t know any boys anyway.
I wasn’t an athletic person so I told Mom I wanted to get a job. I went to Head’s Drugstore in La Grange and asked for an application. I met Bill McMakin, who was co-owner with Billy Head, and told him I would like a job if there was an opening. He said, “I don’t hire girls.” There were adult women and two high school boys, who did stocking after school, but no girls. My father always said if there is something you want, especially a job, tell them you will work for free for two weeks and if you haven’t proven yourself in two weeks, then move on. So, I told Mr. McMakin that and he said, “Okay, you can start tomorrow.” Three days in, he said, “I would like for you to stay.”
They had just taken the popular “soda fountain” out of the drugstore, but there were still pictures of it on the wall. I think what made Head’s unique was that it wasn’t just a pharmacy; there was a grocery section and they sold athletic equipment like basketballs, baseballs, bats. They still had a candy section, and those hot cashews and pecans. I loved that! The hot nuts were in a large upright rectangular glass container lit with a heat lamp, as you came into the store. Mr. McMakin would tell me, “You are to serve the customers and not eat the nuts!” When Mr. Head came into the store he would scoop those warm cashews and put them in his hand and share with me. I worked at Head’s after school and during summer break through high school and when I came home from college.
I met my husband, Mark Theiss, at Head’s Drug Store. He came in to purchase a softball. When you charged something at Head’s, you had to “hand write” it in a ledger book. People would come in to pay their bills and it was usually cash. So, Mark came into charge this softball and he said, “Just charge it to me.” I said, “And, your name is?” And he said, “Mark Theiss.” And I said, “How do you spell that?” And he said, “Haven’t you noticed the store next door?” I thought to myself, “well, aren’t you arrogant.” Needless to say, Mark came to Head’s Drug store often.
Mr. Head was also the banker and bill-payer for several of our customers who could not read or write. Mr. Head had a safe in the pharmacy. A person would come in with their water bill, for example, and Mr. Head would go to the safe, get a checkbook, write the check, put it in an envelope with a stamp and mail it.
Mark and I married in 1982 and we lived in Shelbyville because Mark managed the Eminence location of Theiss Furniture Store and I was commuting for my last semester at University of Kentucky. I graduated with an undergraduate degree in English in 1983. We married at the Nunnelly House and had a garden wedding. We went to Hilton Head on our honeymoon. After student teaching at Shelby County High School, I taught English and Journalism at Oldham County High School and remained with the school system for 27 years. J.D. Minnehan was my first principal. Soon to follow, Blake Haselton became principal of OCHS. I then earned my Masters degree from the University of Louisville. I was at OCHS when the county opened South Oldham High School.
The addition of a second high school was an adjustment, as change often is. There was contention in the community for a while mainly involving athletics. I started teaching at Buckner Alternative School in 1999. Dan Orman and Melissa Abernathy were the principals. I learned so much during my four years there about building classroom community and being a support system for students beyond just academically. I had 20 students in a self-contained classroom to support them in all their subject areas and credits.
Teaching to me was more about students developing relationships and confidence by working collaboratively which enabled me to interact with small groups and get to know the individual students. I purposely had them work on writing assignments that were personal in nature. And then I would not just give them a score but offer constructive commentary as well as questions about their writing, so I knew what was going on in their lives. Communication, verbal and written, was imperative to the student and teacher relationship, and continued growth. One of my students at the alternative school, I came to find out, was living in a car with her toddler. This young lady was a few months shy of turning 18. She had help during the day for her toddler when she was at school, but in the evenings she had no place to live.
I told her if authorities found out she would lose custody of her child. Mark and I invited her to move into our home. At that time, Mark and I had our three children, they were in K-1 and fifth grade. We had a finished basement for my student and her daughter. My girls don’t really remember her and her daughter living with us. They lived with us for five months. As soon as she turned 18 she moved out and rented a room in La Grange. She worked at the hospital as an x-ray tech. One of the doctors got to know her and realized how sharp she was and offered her a position at his office and I believe even paid for her additional schooling.
I told my students at the alternative school we have two rules: “no base language” and “respect yourselves and respect others.” Learning about what it means to respect yourself and others was something they needed to know. One Friday a month, after we completed our lunch, we might learn a craft, how to play chess, learn to cook and so on. These students were isolated and part of their struggle in the traditional school was working together in groups. We had circle meetings each week and talked about our goals and what we wanted to do. We were a team so we all decided what the group would do. If you completed your work, and “Johnny” was struggling and had not completed his work, you would go to “Johnny” and ask him if he needed help.
Everyone had to complete their work and meet their benchmarks in order to go on a field trip. We all attend or we don’t attend — team building. The first field trip we took was at the end of October. We went to Actors Theatre to experience Dracula. We figured out our benchmark for everyone to accomplish and then we would go to the theatre. One of the students said, “Mrs. Theiss, we are the bad kids; we’ve never been on a field trip.” I replied, “You are not a bad kid, you made bad choices.” We established our benchmarks to accomplish our goals for the trip. We decided what to wear and I said we need to understand what is socially appropriate at different venues. For instance for boys, I said wear your best jeans, dress pants if you have some and a collared shirt and a belt. I also brought in neckties and Dan Orman showed the boys how to tie a necktie. I told the girls to wear a skirt or dress, not too tight or too short. Our group looked great and enjoyed experiencing live theater. We took several field trips thereafter. I so appreciated my time at Buckner Alternative High School as I was able to see such growth in my teaching along with growth and maturity in my students. Most were prepared to return to the traditional school and thrive.
After Buckner Alternative, I became a literacy coach and served the rest of my tenure in that role at North Oldham High School. If I had to define the type of teacher I am, teaching is about developing relationships with students and then the learning will come. I would usually spend the first several weeks letting students get to know each other. Telling each other what they are interested in, where they come from, ultimately developing relationships. That helps students realize there are others in their classroom that they can rely on because of similar experiences. Most of the time, again, we worked in small groups, unless we were doing presentations. I discovered if you start your school year slowly developing routines and expectations, students will thrive and meet academic expectations by the end of the school year.
Also, while at Buckner Alternative, I earned my National Board Certification in teaching which gives you the same accreditation as a Rank I and is recognized in all 50 states. I was fortunate to be in one of the first groups of teachers in Oldham County to earn that certification. I loved teaching and working with high school students and colleagues every day of my career. Along with having a blessed career, I am blessed to have a husband, Mark, of 42 years; three children: Preston, Madison and Meghan; and four grandchildren, Lucas,Taylor, Millie and Callum. God has richly blessed me.
One of the more difficult times recently was my mother’s passing after struggling with dementia. I found out what was important was not to say “Remember Mom?” In all honesty, I was always worried about the turmoil of what was going on in her head. I realized that as much as it affected me, I couldn’t make it about me. At first, with her memory loss, I was working at North, Dad had passed, and Mom still wanted to live on her own — which she did for a while — so I would physically check on her every day. Eventually I realized a person with dementia requires 24-hour care. She was lovingly cared for at BeeHive Homes in Goshen and eventually the memory care unit at The Springs in La Grange.
I relish my 27 years in Oldham County Schools and all the students and colleagues who so richly touched my life. I cherish, as well, my church community, Southeast Christian Crestwood campus.
