DISCIPLINE IN MRS. MOSELEY'S CLASS HAD A BOTTOM LINE -- Dr. Dennis Smith spoke at my mom's memorial service and gave a wonderful tribute to my mom's skill as a teacher. Dennis said that my mom was both loved and respected by her students, was very knowledgeable about English as a subject matter, and was able to motivate marginal students, as well as the college-bound ones. He also said that, Alice Moseley, the teacher was just as entertaining as Alice Moseley, the artist. "She made learning fun," said Dennis. My mother's father, Earl Latimer, was idolized by my mom, and they shared a love of tennis. They began to play tennis together when she was eight years old and they played extensively together throughout her high school years. "Her tennis skills, came in quite handy for a teacher who believed in discipline," said Dennis." Coaches, at the school, would come out in the hall to learn and observe when they heard the explosive collision of Alice Moseley's two-handed forehand and the bottom of a student who tried to test her limits and patience. Susan Mattison, another former student of my mom's also spoke at the memorial and told of a day when the whole class decided to test the patience of Alice Moseley. As a consequence of their misbehavior, each student was told to copy and write 10 times a long verse from the Bible book of Ecclesiastes. The passage was long and Susan said she thought about just writing it eight times and then mis number it. The thought then came to her, Susan related," It is not a smart thing to mess with God or with Mrs. Moseley." My mom had a lot of pride and wanted very much to retain the respect of others. A stranger, who later became a friend, reminded my mom of a time when he was out walking and came upon my mom seated on the ground at the side of the house.
" Can I help you ma'am?" The stranger asked. " No. Thank you," Alice responded, " I'm just trying to get some of these weeds out of my flower bed." What had really happened was that she had lost her balance and fell off the porch into the flower bed, but did not want to be embarrassed in front of the stranger. A friend who came along later, helped her get up. Alice Moseley was, in her own words," a tough old bird."
