First Day of School
I was eight years-old.
On my way to the usual play area to meet my friends that Monday morning, I noticed the small dirt road that ran in the middle of the town was empty. There wasn’t a single child in sight. Normally, on this particular time of the morning, the children my age were out and about.
As I reached the park, I didn’t find a single soul, but I did pass a few children on my way there dressed in their Sunday clothes.
“Where are you guys going?” I asked them. “We’re going to school” they responded.
I absent-mindedly went back to playing marbles while awaiting my friends.
A few minutes later, I heard children talking and laughing at the old church building close to the park. I ran around the front of the building and poked my head inside the heavy double doors. I found my friends standing and reciting the multiplication table in unison. As I looked at the front of the pews, I noticed the lady directing them beckoning me to enter and approach her.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Noel” I replied.
“Noel, ma’am” she corrected. “Noel, ma’am” I repeated, raising the tone of the last syllable out of sheer curiosity.
“Can you finish the multiplication table” she asked. “What’s 6 x 6?”
“Pickup Sticks!” I proudly responded.
The small building erupted in laughter. “No, silly” the teacher said. “That’s 36”.
“Would you like to learn the rest of it?” she asked.
“Sure!”
After one week, I learned how to recite the table, how to write my name, and was able to distinguish words after having just learned the alphabet.
Two weeks later, I was placed in the 3rd grade at the elementary school five miles away.
On my way to the usual play area to meet my friends that Monday morning, I noticed the small dirt road that ran in the middle of the town was empty. There wasn’t a single child in sight. Normally, on this particular time of the morning, the children my age were out and about.
As I reached the park, I didn’t find a single soul, but I did pass a few children on my way there dressed in their Sunday clothes.
“Where are you guys going?” I asked them. “We’re going to school” they responded.
I absent-mindedly went back to playing marbles while awaiting my friends.
A few minutes later, I heard children talking and laughing at the old church building close to the park. I ran around the front of the building and poked my head inside the heavy double doors. I found my friends standing and reciting the multiplication table in unison. As I looked at the front of the pews, I noticed the lady directing them beckoning me to enter and approach her.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Noel” I replied.
“Noel, ma’am” she corrected. “Noel, ma’am” I repeated, raising the tone of the last syllable out of sheer curiosity.
“Can you finish the multiplication table” she asked. “What’s 6 x 6?”
“Pickup Sticks!” I proudly responded.
The small building erupted in laughter. “No, silly” the teacher said. “That’s 36”.
“Would you like to learn the rest of it?” she asked.
“Sure!”
After one week, I learned how to recite the table, how to write my name, and was able to distinguish words after having just learned the alphabet.
Two weeks later, I was placed in the 3rd grade at the elementary school five miles away.
posted by Noel | 12:23 AM
1 Comments:
Dear Noel.. It is a little late but I did not want to go to bed before I checked out on you.
I hope that everything was happy for you today.
I was off today and got caught up with most of my blog friends, but in between those times, I have been thinking about your "First Day of School" and trying my hardest to remember my FIRST day and I just cannot!!
I know I started school when I was six years old and I went to grade one. They never offered kindergarden in those days I guess.
My teacher's name was Miss Smith and she was certainly an old lady[probably about 35!].
I remember my favorite class was music.
The music teacher would teach us how to sing in different parts.
I was always picked to be an alto.
The teacher would line us altos up in the front of the class while the tenors would sit in their desks.
All in all I guess we sounded pretty good because I don't think that there is one child in this whole, wide world who cannot sing,eh?
I also liked printing.
I came in second for the best printer.
I will never forget the boy who won top prize in that contest.
At the end of holidays the whole school was just shocked to learn that he had been killed in a truck accident during vacation and his seat was empty in Miss. Smith's class.
I think it is the very first time that I had ever heard of death, Noel.
I will never forget it, although this is the first time I have even thought about it in years.
We used to have spelling bees and I was pretty good at that.
I do have a very painful memory here though.
We were lined up at the front of the class for a spelling bee and one little girl asked for permission to use the washroom and the teacher said, "No".
Well after a couple of minutes as that little girl was standing with the rest of us, the floor under her flooded with "water".
She could not help it as she wet her pants and the puddle formed at her feet.
What I remember distinctly about this is that even though kids can be the cruellest creatures sometimes, all of us children just looked at each other with eyes full of pain.
Nobody said a thing.
You wouldn't have been able to hear a pin drop.
The teacher's face looked sad and there were tears on some of the children's cheeks, including mine.
We felt such sympathy for that little girl that none of us even thought about laughing or making fun of her.
I would say that this attitude saved the day, and the little girl was not ashamed or so it seemed.
After all it was JUST an accident.
Well you have opened my "rememory" Noel!!
I better close now and say good night as I do not want to talk your ears off!!
Catch you again my dear friend and as usual I am praying for your whole small family[all five of you!], for Diane and for your two sets of parents....From Terry
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