Listen to your mother!

There were many ways we could get to school when I was in elementary school. There was no bus service to those who lived in the town so we walked, rode our bikes or used our roller skates. Our skates were not like the ones we have today. They were all metal and hooked onto our shoes. On the front of the skate was a pair of hooks that attached to the front part of the shoe and in the back there was a strap that went around the ankle. We carried a skate key on a string around our necks so we could tighten the hooks if they came loose. One morning, when I was in the fourth grade, I asked Mom if I could skate to school. She told me she didn’t want me to skate that day, but I could ride my bike or walk. I really wanted to skate because some friends and I were going to go skating after school. I sneakily tucked my skates in my school bag and walked to school that morning. After school, I gathered with my friends and put on my skates for the trip home. When I got about 3 blocks from home I was skating pretty fast along the sidewalk. I came to a curb, jumped off the curb, and hit gravel. My feet went out from under me and I fell on my right arm. You can probably guess the rest. I broke my arm in 2 places. Since I was in front of a friend’s house, her mother tied a scarf around my arm and neck to hold my arm in place and sent me home. Dad took me to the doctor to have my arm set. The doctor sat me in a chair and dad held my arm while the doctor pulled on it to let the bones set into place. I have never since felt such pain. The doctor thought that Dad would faint because he turned white when he heard my screams. I was upset with the doctor because he used only a wooden splint and gauze to hold my arm in place. I had wanted a plaster cast. Anyway, the moral of the story is, when you Mom says no listen to her. She might be right.

Do I have to do that again?

I remember the first day of elementary school. Mom walked me to school that first day. When I walked into the classroom I saw little circle cats and rabbits on the blackboard and said to Mom, "Do I have to do this another year?" I had been to nursery school and kindergarten for 2 years and knew my numbers and letters, could print my name and could read a little. I knew that I would be super bored. So, everyday, when I was walking to school with the neighborhood kids, I would stop to play in the leaves, watch the ants and bees, and in winter, play in the snow. Consequently, I was late for school every day. The teacher would tell me to go to the cloak room and take off my coat and put my lunch on the shelf. I would take my time and, after hanging up my coat, would smell everyone's lunch box to see what they all had for lunch. The teacher would have to come in the cloak room to get me and I would sit at my desk and daydream. The teacher, Miss Scally, had about enough of that and for several days sent a note home to my parents at the end of the day. I put the notes in the bottom of my school bag, and forgot about them. One morning, after arriving late again, Miss Scally asked me where was the note from my father. I told her that Daddy didn't write a note. She told me she would send me home with a 6th grader. I said, " I know the way home", but she insisted on giving me an escort. I was sure that I could get around mother because dad was at work. I had the surprise of my life because mom had been sick that day and Dad had stayed home. When I came up the stairs to our apartment, Dad was in the bathroom sharpening his razor on a razor strop. He saw me and asked me what I was doing home. I said," I don't feel so well", which was true because I was afraid I had been caught. Dad asked me to empty my school bag and about 6 notes fell out. I hadn't had the sense to throw them away. Dad read the notes, unhooked the razor strop from the wall and gave me a sound spanking. Guess what!! The next day I was late for school again. The teacher finally discovered that I was bored and began giving me some books to read and worked with me individually when she had a chance. She ended up being my favorite teacher and followed her 1st grade class through the 2nd grade the next year.

There are lots more school stories, but I will save them for another time.