Ah, 4th grade, in retrospect the perfect class for a kid. Maybe you can recognize yourself in one of these faces. At nine, you were well accustomed to the school routines; apron strings completely cut. You were too young for the self-conscious, emotional turmoil of adolescence. You were hot stuff if you knew the answers in class and could outrun the other boys and girls on the playground. Your teacher was the most important female in your life and, if she was as pretty as Mrs. Sanders here, you were in love.
After 55 years I forget the names of half these kids (can you help me?) but their personalities remain vivid. Placid Delbert J; chatty little Larry P; wryly humorous Marvin; good old Claude S; my quiet classmate through all 7 years Bruce F; tall awkward Orville F; quiet loner Darlene S; quiet friendlies Faye, Yvonne and Bernice L; big, smart and popular Karen A. and her tall, lanky, less smart crony Betty T; and my only girl pal in class Diane L.
With my superabundance of mental and physical energies, I was ever a distraction in class. Mrs. Sanders even labelled me "obnoxious" on my report card. But I think she liked me, often getting to eyeball distance with me and talking me down to a dull roar.
The project kids here weren't marked by their appearance. I came across another 55 year old class photo from another school in the district, Normandy Park E.S. It was a ritzier neighborhood that we aspired to. All private houses, big yards and with an exclusive community center right on the Puget Sound beach. But the kids clothes and hairstyles were indistinguishable from ours. I initially thought some of the kids had transferred from my own class.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment