Jingle His Coins

Mr. Bitner possessed many qualities one would associate with a science teacher. He had a high-pitched nasally voice, he wore high-water slacks and tight v-necks, routinely acted like animals, and he liked to touch himself in class.

Mackenze Webber had Mr. Bitner for sixth-grade science. She knew she was in for an interesting year because his reputation as being a strange person preceded him.

"He was your typical science teacher, just crazy." Webber said.

Webber recalls one occasion in particular involving bizarre role-play. Mr. Bitner was describing his beloved dog,named Sputnik, as he so often did, and got down on all fours on the carpet. He crawled on all fours and a student jokingly threw a pencil down. Bitner proceeded to pick up the pencil in his mouth as if it were a bone. "Bitner didn't understand that we were laughing at him, not with him." Webber said.

Mr. Bitner had student-assigned nickname as Bitter-balls. Webber laughs as she recounts all the times Bitter-balls would reach down into his tight pants pockets and jingle his coins. He always carried spare change in his pockets and would turn his back to the class and jingle them. The students tried holding back laughter, but often could not.

"There was a jingle sound, but we all knew when he reached his hands into his pockets it served a double purpose," said Webber.

Webber and her classmates will always remember the jingling sound of Mr. Bitner.