But it got me thinking back to my own grade school years, at Grant Elementary (the "Home of the Winners"), and what I remember from them... In short, not much. For example:
Kindergarten (was only a half-day K5 then): Mrs. Holtz
- I went in the afternoons. My mom didn't like this. She wanted me to go in the mornings with Mrs. Moon like my sisters did. Which I didn't understand, because my sisters never spoke very highly of Mrs. Moon.
- We went to her dairy farm on a field trip. I was the only one in the class who would milk the cow.
- We finger painted on the tables with chocolate pudding and cool whip.
- We had to listen to a cassette tape give us instructions on what to do in a workbook. It told us to circle what made the noise. I circled the whole door, and was told it was wrong, because I should have only circled the bell on top of the door. I countered that the bell wouldn't have made noise without the door. I still got it wrong, which to this day burns me.
- I had to be Christy Lorbecki's classroom buddy. I didn't like Christy Lorbecki. She wore tennis shoes with dresses. Now that I'm older, I know that she was pretty poor, and the social awkwardness was probably due to a crappy homelife. But when you're 5, all you see is tennis shoes and a dress.
- They didn't teach me how to read like I'd wanted, but let me go to the 1st grade class to get books to read during quiet times.
- My best friend, Nicki, lived in a trailer in a trailer park and had a 4-post canopy bed. I was really jealous of her.
First grade: Mrs. Weber
- We had to rest while the Nutcracker Suite record played. To this day, I hate that music.
- Everyone had a nap mat. My mom gave me a rug. Even in 1st grade, I knew that wasn't okay.
- I was in the Lions reading group. The Bears were the slow kids.
- We had a catch-up day, and Mrs. Weber put ketchup on everyone's fingers. I hated ketchup, and she laughed at me that I wouldn't eat any. Looking back, why would you want little kids to eat red-dyed high fructose corn syrup?
- Learning to tell time and negative numbers were really a struggle for me.
- I was in the "TAG" (talented and gifted) program. I didn't really like it, because it wasn't that fun and I had to give up a recess for it.
- I was in the school spelling bee, and they kicked me out on the word "because". Not because I couldn't spell it, but because someone made a loud noise in the middle of me spelling it and they couldn't tell if I spelled it right or not. To this day, I don't know why they couldn't let me spell it again. Seriously, I was in 1st grade!
- Clarence Stein wrote "I hate you" on his valentine to me
- I told a teacher that a girl in our class had bruises up and down her back from her dad.
- I made some really ugly blue painted ceramic mouse Christmas ornaments that I still have.
- I made it to the finals of the school spelling bee. I got knocked out on annual. Stupid double n. I'll never misspell it again.
- My mom started working at my school.
- I was sitting in the back row of the class when Josh Lassa asked me why I was squinting. Apparently I needed glasses.
- We played a lot of Smear the *&^*& on the playground.
- We had a mock election. Ronald Reagan won. I didn't vote for Ronald Reagan, because I remembered how my parents always complained about what a stupid @$% he was.
- Todd P___ski showed everyone his junk in the sandbox.
- I was the narrator for our rendition of "Billy Goats Gruff"
- I got a C on my Wisconsin project my Mom did almost all of. So much for letting her do my work.
- We went to the American Indian museum in Green Bay. The museum sucked, but on the way back, Nathan Schrorer made up a song that we were all singing by the end. I still know every word to that song (bumper-dinker-bumper-dinker)
- Mr. Walloch was my science teacher. We used to bet a candy bar on every local basketball game.
- I got glasses.
- A kid pooped his pants.
- I went to Brazil in January with my family and got to miss 2 glorious weeks of Mrs. Jorgenson's class.
- The teacher came from South Dakota and made us write to pen pals from his old class. I got a weird girl who couldn't spell. I stopped writing to her.
- I got contacts.
- I started to play the trumpet in the school band
- We got "the talk" about our bodies
- He used to stop teaching us stuff just to tell funny stories.
- My geography teacher (whose first name was Brian, but I can't for the life of me remember his last name) told us that everyone in South America spoke Spanish. When I corrected him, he sent me to the principal's office. I wonder what Mr. Fowler thought about a 6th grader knowing more than the teacher...
- I won President of the Student Council against Amy Zimmerman. I don't think the Student Council did anything, but like all good politicians, I'm quite sure that had nothing to do with me.
- I was sat next to Bill Fisher, a former 1st grade "Bear". I think he taught me more about hockey rules than I taught him about math or reading
- My mom gave me a bra. I didn't want to wear it.Who are we kidding - I still don't need one.
- Chuck Something-or-Other (I want to say it was Schultz, but is that possible?) was my boyfriend for a few weeks. We sat next to one another in the gym when the whole school got to watch a movie on the wall together. I was too nervous to hold his hand.
- We all wrote on one another's white Ked shoes on the last day. We all got sent to the principal's office for that. Clearly, I was a vandal who needed to learn a lesson.
5 comments:
That spelling bee thing in the 1st grade sounds a bit like a scandal.
That was fun. Brought back a lot of cool memories, even though mine are a tad older than yours. Some things don't change.
I'll bet you made Nathan Schrorer's day with this post.
Your son's expression is priceless! You should have him write down a few of his memories throughout the school year so you can compare.
I loved 5 of my seven grade school teachers. When I become famous and have to accept an award or dedicate a book, their names will be there. :o)
Also, I love that sweet Boychik! What a face!
mingle*****
yes, school was an unfair hell. I could getta gun and take them out one by one.
Oh....never mind...most of them died over 20 years ago. I would apare Ms Nicholson. She was a babe. She is probably 90 now.
yeah...you missed out on a few things. You didn't hear about the "big switch" in Brazil. Even in French, English, and Dutch guyana switched over to Spanish.
1978.
Incidently I think Todd P. became a Urologist or Porn star.
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