Barry Berg

Mrs. Huso encouraged a young man (me) to admit his love of literature at a time when the only ones who were supposed to like it were "chicks."   In Mrs. Huso's class we first encountered Shakespear, which I started to read in 7th grade because my mother the ever persistant book worm, suggested it.  That and I was read Charles Lamb's childrens Tales of Shakespear when I was a toddler and child to go to sleep.  How surprised she was and encouraging when I asked her after class a question about the play, and we had just been assigned to start reading it.  I don't remember now, but I think it had to do with a phrase that I didn't understand, or simething I didn't get.  She gave me a special assignment to make me research and understand it.  That set a path for me that was later to be very beneficial in college, and years later.  

What I remember most was an oral book report we had to to give infront of the class.  Again thanks to my mom I had read Richard Haiiburton's travelogue "Royal Road to Romance" a couple of times before, and so I chose that book because I was being particularyly lazy.  I stood up in class and announced "... the book I am reporting on is Royal Road to Romance"   This cause the class, especially the girls to all burst out laughing at me, as they though from the title it was some kind of love novel.  It devistated me, there I was infront of the class, with everyone laughing at me and no where to run or hide.  Mrs. Huso, saw the clas reaction and moved from the window side of the room where she was leaning against one of the heaters, to the front of the room, immediately quited the class, and explained for about 5 minutes an indepth analysis of the term Literary Romance, while I was stupidly just standing infront of the class.  She then went on to explain that this book was a halmark in travel and adventure.  Soon I felt, or imagined, the classes' new found respect for my literary choice.  I gave the report, and think I got an A more out of compassion than for my literary analysis.

Mrs. Huso was a wonderful teacher, who encouraged her students, at least me, to dig deeper and research what you don't understand.  Even after 10th grade when I would see her in the halls, she would sop and ask me how I was doing, and encourage my pursuit of literature and writing, with a small chastisement to imporve my grammer and punctuation.  She was compassionate, and her passion for literature certainly affected me.