Early School Days

I have many good memories I can recall from my childhood school days. My first favorite memory is that of my comfy orange bathroom mat I had in kindergarten. Back in the day, we took a nap everyday even though kindergarten went just until noon. And I’m not even sure if kindergarten was five days a week.

Each child would grab their rug and find a place on the floor to sleep. Mrs. Ottobacher (apologies if I misspelled) would turn off the overhead lights and we would rest. Some of us would fall asleep. I come from a long line of nappers so this was perfect for me. Disappointingly, naps weren’t allowed in the 1st through 12th grades. 

We had lots of coloring papers for all the holidays which I loved. In today’s world, I’m sure you would never find an Easter coloring page in a public school, but we sure did back in the ‘60’s. We even happily sang The Easter Parade.

Our Thanksgiving poem/song will be forever etched in my mind. Over the River and Through the Wood was written by Lydia Maria Child in 1844. And no…I’m not that old.  Below are the four verses we learned. 

Over the river, and through the wood,

To Grandfather’s house we go;

the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood—

oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose

as over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood—

and straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow,

it is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood—

now Grandmother’s cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

Movies were shown periodically. I specifically recall watching Rumplestiltskin. We also watched very old Disney cartoons. Movie time was pretty exciting for us kids as movies were not readily at our fingertips like they are today. I guess that made events like those just a little more special. 

We also had lots of marionette puppet shows in the gymnasium. You know, the puppets with strings. They were a little scary but still entertaining.

I do not recall taking many field trips, but I’m sure we did. Probably to the zoo and parks. The class parties were fun, especially Valentine’s Day and Christmas along with classmates’ birthdays. Those were always celebrated with cupcakes that a mom would make for her child’s class. 

One of the highlights of my younger years was learning to read. I wanted to read. And once I grasped it, I couldn’t read enough. My first favorite books were the Dick and Jane books. Complete with little sister, Sally, Puff, the kitten, and a pup named Spot. 

I have noticed that bookstores carry Dick and Jane books. That makes me happy. I have one book in my cabin called I See You. I’d love to get more, but I’d rather have the readers that I grew up with. I may have to check it out on eBay. 

I was one of those kids who enjoyed summer but got excited when school started back. Mom would buy us a few new clothes, lunch boxes, school supplies, with all those lovely, new smelling #2 pencils. Am I the only one here who enjoys the smell of a new pencil?

Ahhhh…those were the days. 

I always wanted a box of 64 crayons with the sharpener in the back but I never got one. But that’s okay. I wasn’t too jealous of the kids who had them. I eventually bought them for my kids when we began to homeschool. 

My mom would pack our lunches and most every day she’d enclose a note in our lunch box. It might have been a simple note taped on the inside of the lid, wrapped around a banana, or written on a hard boiled egg. I wish I had those notes now. Well, not the ones written on egg shells. 

Recess and P.E. were fun but I was awkwardly tall for my age, awkwardly shy, and well…just awkward. 

I miss those years, but I have great  memories and am glad that I experienced my early school years in the 60’s and 70’s. Now high school is a different story for another time. Or…maybe not.

♥️

Andi