“All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.” Robert Fulghum
And all I really need to know about prepositions I learned in seventh grade from Mrs. Perkins. At least I think it was her. You see, I recently discovered, mimeographed on a sheet of light yellow paper, a faded, handwritten list entitled “Correct Prepositions.” And just above its 18 no-compromise rules was the direction, “Learn to use the following prepositions correctly.”
It could have come from Mrs. Blackmore the year before, but I’d feel pretty comfortable wagering a sizable sum that it came from Mrs. Perkins since she’s the teacher who had the dubious honor of teaching us little angels English during our final two years at Peru Elementary School. (Why have I kept the list all these years? Because I like lists but that’s another story.)