The Deep South’s Oldest Column: Wild West Days
Introducing “The Deep South’s Oldest Column,” a new weekly feature from Biscuits & SEC. Each week during the season, B&S contributor Dr. B will examine an SEC topic from a cultural perspective. There will be examinations of the conference we love and why we love it. Stories of the role models who passed on the love of football in the South. Fun will be poked at other conferences - and often at ourselves. There will be introspection, life lessons, tales of big wins, crushing losses, history, tear-jerkers, joy...and the ties that bind us together.
By: Dr. B
Before entering into various roles in secondary school administration (where I remain to this day), I taught history to middle schoolers. Was I brave? A bit crazy? Destined for adventures every day that would tempt me to throw something through a window? Absolutely on all accounts, but in reality, I loved teaching 5th through 8th graders. I wanted to create unique experiences for the kids that would get them psyched about the fascinating world of history, while at the same time, help them feel encouraged by looking at the rich past as a way to create a better future. I focused hard on not only teaching the kids facts and how to clearly analyze them, but also focused heavily on the cultural realm of history and its role in shaping our lives. We would go so far as to have theme days, where the kids dressed up and we turned our classroom into a certain time period.
For example, when we studied the American West in my United States History classes, we transformed the classroom into a saloon, and the kids, dressed as cowboys and cowgirls, spent the class period playing numerous gambling games for candy while hanging out at the “bar.” I played the role of the bartender, complete with towel on my shoulder as I egged on conversations about the critical issues of middle school (too much homework, not enough recess time, why the local state university was so much better than the rival engineering school in all sports outside volleyball) all while serving bottle after bottle of ice cold root beer to thirsty middle school cowboys and cowgirls that sought a massive sugar laced, caffeine high. I probably wasn’t the most popular teacher with my colleagues on our “ Wild West Days” as I sent extremely hyper kids to their other classes fresh from a class period laced with root beer, Smarties, and Skittles. Nonetheless, I think the kids had fun and I enjoyed trying to create another world for them, if even for 45 minutes.
Dr. B’s kids head to their next class.
Introducing kids to the concept of culture in a unique way was such a joy because, overall, it was a ton of fun! Seeing the kids dressed in cowboy and cowgirl outfits, and for other theme days, dressing up as Native Americans for a traditional Potlatch Ceremony or as Greek and Trojan soldiers as a part of our study of the Trojan War, was priceless. I do believe theme days were a positive way to show and teach culture in a unique way, and numerous former students have commented how much they remember those special days and how they positively impacted their middle school years. Perhaps those special days not only helped teach culture, but also offered some fun and hope to kids who were in the midst of a very challenging time period of their lives, a time where they desired to learn a foreign language for the sheer joy of knowing how to say cuss words in a different tongue, while at the same time, hiding the fact that they still sleep with their favorite stuffed animal or blankie. True to form, in this day and age, particularly during these difficult current times, we are all in that awkward middle school time period where we just want to cuss and snuggle with a furry friend. We need more positive aspects in our current lives to see us through, to encourage us, to give us hope. For crying out loud, we just lost Eddie Van Halen...we need a stinking break, a reminder that the world overall is indeed a good place and that someday, all will be well once again.
Those of us that love the SEC know that, for the most part, all's right with the world on crisp, fall Saturdays as we prepare to watch our beloved Bulldogs, Aggies, Gators, or Tigers (or War Eagles, or whatever we’re supposed to call Auburn...some confused people on the Plains). So, why not use this blog, dedicated to a conference and a sport that has produced so much joy to it’s followers throughout the years, as a way to remind us that all indeed will be well and that it is OK to be optimistic again? Welcome to Biscuits & SEC’s new weekly feature “The Deep South’s Oldest Column.” Each week, I will be presenting, from a cultural point of view, some aspects of life to ponder through our beloved conference. The column will be a celebration of our sport and conference by means of stories and thoughts that will attempt to bring a laugh, a tear, and overall, great joy to our readers. Like a middle schooler high on root beer, may this column send you running down a hallway, pissing off a teacher or two because you are not using your inside voice (possibly table topping a buddy or two), yet full of optimism for today and our future ahead.
Photo: The Clarion-Ledger
Family, friends and fellowship with 100s of thousands of your closest friends, maybe with some adult beverages mixed in. What the SEC is all about.
In the coming weeks, we will look at the tailgating culture between schools in the ACC and the SEC (or cute vs. joy-filled madness), a tribute to mothers and wives who, either by choosing to attend one of these football-crazy schools or by marriage, become diehard SEC fanatics (inheriting the madness), the story and cultural impact of a diehard Crimson Tide fan who proudly flew his Alabama state flag on Crimson Tide game days in suburban New Jersey (“Who the hell is the guy flying the flag with the big red “X” on it?), and the privilege we have as Dads and Moms to raise the next generation of SEC fans. We might throw in a bit about how cheesy movies and SEC football are closely related (Rudy should have gone to Alabama), and we might just take a stab on why every team in the SEC actually sucks (with a positive twist, of course). We will enjoy celebrating LSU’s rise to the national championship last season as well as Mississippi State’s epic 6-3 upset of Bear Bryant’s top ranked and undefeated Crimson Tide in 1980 that brought the Bulldog faithful to tears. We will look at the cultural side of Georgia’s attempt to become national champions for the first time since 1980, the unique off field challenges Auburn faces each year, and we will look at Vanderbilt’s...Vanderbilt’s...well, it’s a great academic school and we will leave it at that.
Hope you will join us on this fun ride, and may this column make your day, and year, just a little bit brighter. Stay tuned!
Dr. B has lived and taught throughout the South, attending The University of Alabama and earning a Ph.D. from The University of Georgia. He has come to know and love the people and rich traditions of the SEC and its rabid fan bases.