I was almost ten and going into the 5th grade. I went to an old two room school house which later became the Community Center/Senior Citizens Center in Osage. Mrs. Zeller taught the 5th grade, she was a kind lady. I would get A’s in Spelling, Arithmetic and Social Studies and struggle to get a B in Science. I got a pair of glasses before school started, it was probably the first time in five years that I could actually see the blackboard. I would remain blind as a bat without glasses.
My baby brother would have been going into second grade with one of my favorite teachers ever, Mrs. Zauche.
Didn’t everyone wear a scarf to school and white anklets back in 1961? Those white anklets drove me nuts after they lost their elastic they would fall down and eventually get all bunched up under my heel. That dress was beige with dark brown and teal squares. I have no idea what color the scarf was and my taste in bracelets was minimal.
Sharpening pencils. Remember that sound on the first day of school ? Everyone had to sharpen their pencils, that must have driven the teacher nuts. We didn’t have one of those crank pencil sharpeners at home, when Dad was home he would sharpen our pencils with his knife. We had one of those little hand held worthless sharpeners. Far Guy was lucky, his Mom used to be a teacher and they had a crank pencil sharpener on their back porch ( because she was a teacher is probably why it was on the back porch.)
I love to stroll down the aisles that have all the school supplies. I wandered around one day recently and came home with some new pencils, pens and a notebook. What a great variety of school supplies there are nowadays! I purchased some ink pens that are all different colors of ink..pink, green ( as I scribbled the green on a piece of paper I realized that my husband used to use a green pen in high school), purple, orange and boring old blue. I like the .09 mechanical pencils…there is a difference…the .07’s lead breaks too easy for me. I am picky with my pencils.
School started yesterday here in Minnesota. The neighborhood “gang” all reported a good day! Miss Aubrey started kindergarten, her brothers Gavin and Jordan and cousins Anna and Mason all escorted her from the bus to her classroom. Kate reported that the teacher said “There was a whole group of kids with Aubrey this morning!” :)
Hard to believe Aubrey is in kindergarten. Love the photo of you and your brother. I remember having those big, fat pencils in first grade. I was so bashful that I did not like to go to the sharpener on the wall. I still love the smell of pencils, new coloring books etc.
ReplyDeleteI still remember having to sharpen our pencils. I very, rarely even see someone sharpening a pencil. We started college yesterday. I remember my mom telling us kids about having to walk over a mile to the school in the winter, and they had to wear dresses.
ReplyDeleteYou look very together for someone on their way to 5th grade. You would have far eclipsed me in coolness.
ReplyDeleteBack to School - many memories.... I have been on memory lane :) Aubrey already in Kindergarten, awwwww...... No spendy school shopping here and no first day off to the bus pictures :) but many memories!
ReplyDeleteI love your pretty skirt. It reminded me how much I loved big swirly skirts with crinolines underneath. The boys would take the opportunity when we stood in line to sharpen out pencils to pretend to drop theirs and peek under our skirts! :-)
ReplyDelete...and don't forget the scratchy petticoats!
ReplyDeleteWhat will kids wear to school 50 years from now?
And, as for pencil sharpening - I recall teachers that wouldn't allow it once class had started... they must have really hated the noise! Towards the end of my classroom teaching career I had an electric pencil sharpener - the kids loved that. The old hand crank thing was just too hard to use!
Your Wistful Wednesday shots bring back so many memories - thanks!
Morning Connie, love that photo, brings back many memories....I also liked to stroll the isles of school supplies but could not afford many items I wanted, just the plain necessitates .......Blessings Francine.
ReplyDeleteYou guys looked so cute...love the ankle socks..so neat and tidy. Don't you love those old school photos...and don't you just love the first day of school...ha ha.
ReplyDeleteJen
That picture brought back many memories.
ReplyDeleteI wander the school supply aisles, too, and marvel at the items that are available. Nothing like the smell of a new box of Crayolas to spark distant memories.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember wearing a headscarf even when I was in high school - wouldn't be caught wearing one anymore. ;o)
As a teacher, I preferred the crank sharpeners over the electric. I have a crank sharpeners in my garage and use it frequently.
Boys always had to wear long pants no matter what. The first time I wore shorts in public was to the movies my senior year. I wore shorts all summer but never at school. Bluejeans until high school and they had to be dress pants with a belt. I remember girls showing up with can cans under their skirts for a few years.
ReplyDeleteFunny how grandparents are still so involved in school. I wished my granddaughters a successful and happy year.
ReplyDeleteI still enjoy looking at the back-to-school supplies. I dislike mechanical pencils and fine point pens, though :(
ReplyDeleteThose are some great memories!
ReplyDeleteOh, how sweet. Love your stories and photos of the good old days. Cute outfit and glasses! We had a hand crank pencil sharpener in our basement. I love a good, sharp pencil!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing all the stuff they have to have for school now-a-days?
ReplyDeleteDid they have any other than white ankle socks when we were in grade school?
Wonderful post. You remember a lot more than I do...
Have a great evening!
My mom made my dresses so I always had a matching "triangle " scarf. And oh boy, do I remember those itchy can-cans underneath. They were soaked in starch and then dried. Some had nylon netting as a layer. Sometimes we wore more than one to get the proper poof to the dress. I often had a rash in my legs and couldn't wait to get home and get it off!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun memories.
I was a tomboy and hated wearing the dresses, but oh how I loved school. Got my cat glasses in third grade. All my life I have not been able to pass by school supplies. I can window shop in office supply stores. (My son never had to worry about being drug into clothing stores, but he dreaded the sight of an office or art supply store--lol!) Maybe this has a lot to do with why I absolutely love fall and always have. Fall meant school was starting! Paper, pens, notebooks...ahhh! ;)
ReplyDeleteI like school supplies too, but because I was an educator for so many years, my "first day" memories are as a teacher and not as a student. Setting up my desk and work station was always my favorite part of getting ready for school to start.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, I don't miss it.