Mr. Millet: The Barefoot Butter-Eating Man

by Amelia Rose Cook

When the question “What is your lifestyle?” is asked, the same answers are usually given: having a healthy lifestyle, a busy schedule, a lot of schoolwork, the list continues. Everyone has somewhat of the same lifestyles, with a little tweak of their own personal liking to get through their day smoothly. But then there is Mr. Millet, the Canton Academy Art and Life Skills teacher, the man who defies the norm.  

In the eighth grade, I moved from the coast to Canton, Mississippi. As I walked through the doors of Canton Academy on my first day, I wondered what my teachers would be like. I began to have conversations with students and found an opportunity to ask what I was most curious about: “Who is y’all’s favorite teacher?”  

As I listened to everyone’s answers, the same name was repeated: “Mr. Millet!” They explained to me that we would not be able to have him until our junior year, but that he was everyone’s favorite, anyway. 

 
I asked for a description of him, so I could get an idea of what he was like. 

“He’s tall and thin with white hair and wears neon green and black track shoes,” one student said.  
I responded, “Oh! He’s the track coach, too? That’s cool.” 

 
“Oh no,” another student said. “That’s just what he wears if he’s not wearing any shoes.” 

 
I thought to myself, Who wears track shoes as regular shoes? And what did they mean “if” he wears shoes? I was in for a treat when I met Mr. Millet for the first time. 

As I grew older, I watched Mr. Millet. Without even being in his class, I knew he was an interesting guy. He laughed at almost anything, and everyone greeted him when they passed him in the hall. He was just known as the type of guy everyone loves. 

My junior year came, and I was so excited to finally have him as my teacher. 

“Welcome, juniors! I’m Mr. Millet, your Art and Life Skills teacher,” he said on the first day of school. I looked down and dropped my jaw as I saw his bare feet. Those students were right. 

He explained what we would all be doing throughout the year and what field trips we would be taking. That is when he got right into it. He opened the cabinet behind him and pulled out a glass bottle of olive oil and a Styrofoam cup. He poured about two tablespoons of the oil into the cup and went back to the cabinet to get hot sauce. He then poured the hot sauce into the cup and began to drink it.

I stared in amazement and asked what in the world he was doing. 

He explained, “Drinking olive oil helps your skin age slower, and drinking hot sauce helps build your immune system.” But that was just the start of it.

As we went on throughout the year, I saw Mr. Millet doing even crazier things. I would run into him running backward in the hallways because he claimed it “helps with his back posture.” 

I would see him eating sticks of butter at break or lunch, because he claimed it was “the best fat you could eat for your body.”

 
He would watch yoga, breathing and meditation videos, because he claimed it “brought him closer to Earth.” 

There were instances when students from other schools had heard about him and asked me if he was even real. They could not believe that this man was walking the halls of Canton Academy. 

Mr. Millet is nothing short of interesting. He is always doing something new and different from any other person that I know. However, what I admire most about him is that he does not care what other people think about him. 

While I always enjoy seeing the odd things that he does, I watch his character. He is one of the most interesting, uplifting and high-spirited people that I have ever met. Without Mr. Millet, I would not be able to not care what other people think of me. 

When I asked someone why they thought he does all these things and how he can live life not caring what others think of him, they answered, “Amelia, it’s not as hard as it seems. As you grow up, you will find your purpose in life. Mr. Millet has found that his purpose is to make other people smile. If it’s because they are making fun of him, at least he’s doing my job. Three years from now, he probably won’t even remember what their first names are. Mr. Millet lives in the present and does what he wants to do.” 

He has had such an impact in my life, from his barefoot-butter eating lifestyle to his unawareness of him being a role model in my life.