Copy and paste, copy and paste into comments! Please! It’s too hard to follow answers if you don’t. I beseech you, peaches.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
5) Describe which “type” you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
I had a red corduroy jumper that I liked when I was 7 or so.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
I think I once had a pair of red, white and blue plaid pants. What? It was the mid-70s.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
Bus. And I hated the bus; my stop was towards the end and the mean kids would never let me or my brother sit down.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
I’m going to name her – her name was (I am not making this up) Erica Rude. She was my nemesis because she prevented me from being unique – if she had not been in my class I would have been the only Erica. Not that I hated her so much but I kind of REGRETTED she was in my class. (And yes, she was kind of rude to me.)
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
I was the shy smart kid.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
My fourth-grade homeroom teacher, because she was nice and she was good at keeping the other kids from being mean to the unpopular kids. Runner-up: my fifth grade math teacher, because she said, “I’m close to retirement so they can’t do anything to me. I don’t like the New Math and I’m not going to teach you New Math; I’m going to teach you math that makes sense.” And she did.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
I don’t remember having a teacher I loathed. In junior high, there was a French teacher I was afraid of because she had an unpredictable temper and threw chalk, but I don’t remember hating a teacher.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
I really didn’t like eating lunch at school but I guess peanut butter was what I ate most often
9) What did you usually do during recess?
The years I had friends, we’d walk around and talk. The years I didn’t, I’d find a place to hide from the bullies.
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
No, never got sent to the principal’s office. I did get to eat my lunch there a few days one week when I was being harassed so badly by some other kids in the lunchroom that I couldn’t eat my lunch. (My junior high was like Survivor on steroids.)
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
Yes, I have. Though I think the kid who peed himself was so engaged with the sand table that he didn’t realize that he needed to pee. (This would have been first grade or so)
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
I would have told her, “It gets better after you’re an adult. Really.” I probably would also have counseled her to “not seem like such a little egghead.” I think part of the reason I got tormented like I did was because I was frankly kind of a pedantic child.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
No, no kissing. But Mark D. and I were really good friends in fourth grade. He was of Italian heritage…I probably don’t need to say any more. I think we held hands a couple times.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
I don’t remember A bully; I just remember that the school seemed to be broken down into “bullies,” “kids that were bullied along with me,” and “kids that left me alone”
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
No. I never heard of wedgies being administered. I do know one kid who got a swirly, though. (And the kids who gave it to him got in HUGE trouble.)
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
Tan Toughskins, checked shirt, and red Keds. I was a little tomboy.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
In 4th grade, I wore a bonnet to school that my mother made – a la Little House on the Prairie
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
Mainly schoolbus, although sometimes we were allowed to walk.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
Nobody made me miserable in grade school. I was very well liked and had great friends, and a careless insouciance (sorry) that protected me from the beeyotches. Junior high was another story. My soul was crushed in junior high by bullying and targeted meanness, involving people putting signs on my back saying, “YOU’RE UGLY” or “LOOK AT MY UGLY PANTS” – but in grade school I was fine.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
In grade school I was the smart kid who also was the class clown, in all the school plays and talent shows, etc.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
Mrs. Dickinson – 6th grade. She just was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, frankly, and 6th grade remains my most favorite year of schooling ever. It was a mental and brainiac FEAST in that classroom – where we not only learned concrete things, but we also had debates – pros and cons on topics – where you learned how to argue your point (whether or not you agreed with it or not). All of this ended up being extremely helpful when it came time to really write major academic papers in high school and college. She was a warm humorous person who also just let me be the star that I was – partaking in school shows and stuff like that … she never seemed like she wanted me to ‘settle down’. She supported me.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
Miss Rogers, 5th grade. In looking back, as an adult, I can see that there was something wrong with that woman, and that she actually didn’t like children. A lot of times kids at the age of 10 are not listened to when they say, “My teacher doesn’t like me” – and sometimes, sure, it’s an excuse for something else – but I remember the feeling of being in the presence of someone who flat out didn’t like me, and no matter what I did she would put a bad spin on it. It was distinctly uncomfortable. Toxic. She is also why I have a complex about math. She used humiliation to crush a student’s psyche, and that is what she did to me. I will never forgive her for that and I actually hope I run into her one day so I can tell her to her face. She’s since changed her name, but she is still a teacher in that school system, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility that I could run into her and tell her exactly what I think of her.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
I liked tuna fish sandwiches.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
Kickball. We did a lot of jumping rope. We also had imaginary games, where we would act stuff out. My friend Betsy and I used to sit on the jungle gym and sing the entire score of Oliver together (we were obsessed with that musical)
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
I don’t think I did, no.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
A poor child vomited in the school hallway which then set off a chain reaction among other students who saw it happen. I personally did not throw up but if I had been there and seen it – I might have.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
Hunker down. Adolescence is coming. Batton down the hatches. Things are gonna get really rough for you for about 10 straight years … so try to stay positive and don’t take junior high so personally.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
In 4th grade I fell in love with Keith and we would chase him down like an animal during recess and try to steal his comb. We were good friends. Weirdly, we are still good friends. And yes, one time I did “catch him” during recess and I kissed him on the cheek. He was cute and nice and I liked him a lot.
In 6th grade I fell in love with Andrew, another boy I had grown up with. we lived in the same neighborhood, and had been hanging out since we were 6 years old. There was a pond in the woods near our house that froze during the winter and we would go there after school and skate and steal each other’s hats and chase each other. It was true love!
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
In grade school I was never bullied. Nor did I bully anyone. I had my group of drama-nerd friends and smart people and we had fun and did our thing. There were definitely cliques of “mean girls” arising – there was a whole “slam book” thing that happened, and fights broke out – but I didn’t really get sucked into that. There was one girl I had been friends with – Greta – and she was very bossy and mean – and she would make her friends tie her shoelaces. Ha! Then there was finally a revolt, which had all the implications of the storming of the Bastille … we all refused to tie her shoelaces anymore, and Greta finally became friends with another girl, and they would smoke cigarettes (this was 6th grade) and they started snarking about people’s clothes and stuff like that. ALL of junior high was like that – and I was bullied and harassed and picked on to death in junior high. I was in a pretty serious depression for about 3 years until I got the heck out of there. Greta ended up going down a pretty sad path – and it all started in around the 6th grade when she lost her core group of friends (who refused to tie her shoelaces) and decided she wanted to act like she was 16 instead of 11.
But again: I was never bullied in grade school. I was a happy well-liked kid. My problems all came later.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
I am sure I gave as well as received wedgies. But I have thankfully blocked it all out.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school? Cuffed bell bottom pants. All the rage in 1973, gone in 1974.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school? Shorts and white t-shirt.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.? Walking or bus. I don’t think ANYONE was driven to school in the 60s.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something.
Rhymes with buck and we’ll leave it at that.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
Shy kid but not so much in class. Mostly shy around people I didn’t know.
6) Most beloved teacher and why? Hebert – Because he was funny and I remember his name.
7) Most loathed teacher and why? Gaudin – He taught a subject (Biology) I hated and he made me do a science project.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
Shepherd’s pie. Never brown-bagged.
9) What did you usually do during recess? Played football or dodgeball.
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
Yes, vandalism. Thought breaking church candles on a car was fun.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
Peed at my desk in 2nd grade. Sister De Lima said, “Well, look at the Mississippi River”. We couldn’t go to the bathroom during class. We had to wait until lunch or recess.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
Don’t start smoking. Skipping out is a bad idea
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
Her name was Connie. Not serious.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
His name was Carl.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie? Never
I’m basing my answers on K-6th grade.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
Jeans.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
I have no idea – I wore whatever my mom and grandmother bought for me. They both had pretty good taste.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
Walk. When we lived overseas we took a bus.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
Stephanie Ravioli. She was a sinister type of force in my life because she was sometimes my friend and sometimes not. She could be very mean. She could be really fun. And I never knew which Stephanie Ravioli was going to show up on any given day.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
Shy, but silly and giggly around people I trusted.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
Ms. Early – beacuse she had a siamese cat, invited us to her house for a end-of-year party in second grade, and she had this coolio plant holder that was a teeny rocking chair with a hole in it where the plant went.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
My kindergarten teacher whose name escapes me – Peterson? She **yelled** at me and made me hide my show and tell item (a doll) in the classroom refrigerator because I didn’t follow the thematic instructions (in KINDERGARTEN, sheesh!). She also yelled at my friend Michael for putting too much salad dressing on the salad we harvested from our class garden. She was a mean one, whatever her name was.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
I liked the sandwiches my Mom packed for me. Cheese with mustard or peanut butter and honey. Also, as a child of the 1970s I always had a space stick in my lunch bag. If you don’t know what that is look it up. I miss those.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
Jump rope, hopscotch, trade stickers.
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
Nah. I’m boring.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
In sixth grade, teacher is reading from a story book, we’re all sprawled on the floor, listening. Except for the teacher’s voice, it is very very quiet. A girl lets one rip. It was very loud and most students twittered or laughed. I remember her and I remember that moment. I felt so bad for her. And I swear, I didn’t laugh. I just wanted to hug her.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
I honestly don’t know. I’ve been sitting here for five minutes noodling this over. Maybe I’d just say “don’t worry so much, there is a whole big life out there waiting for you when this is finished”. That, and “pay more attention to your studies”. I was somewhat of a daydreamer. *ahem*
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
Steve Swan. He had feathered hair, a plastic comb in his back pocket, and played the trombone (!) in band. I once won a running race in PE class because I wanted to impress him. Ugh. My motivations during that time in my life are so embarrasing. No kissing in the bushes because he probably didn’t even know I was alive even with a winning race under my belt.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
I was once slapped across the face on the schoolbus by a Miss P. Ring who was much older than me and should’ve known better. I hope she’s ashamed of herself.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
No. Thank goodness. I always worried about stuff like that. I was mortally terrified of someone giving me a “pink belly” which I once witnessed a group of boys do to another one. His howls still haunt me.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
My mom crochets, and when I was in the first grade, she made me a skirt of granny squares that I wore ALL. THE. TIME. Since it was “holey” I had to wear it with a turtlenecked body suit and tights; they were yellow ribbed. The skirt was navy with yellow and red.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
Gauchos.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
We walked. There were about 15 or 20 kids on two streets that were all elementary school-aged, so we were a pack. I walked even in kindergarten, which totally freaks me out today.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
No one, really, other than my brother and his friends. They were three years old than me and my friends so they used to tease us.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
I was shy, but funny.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
Mrs. Ratermann (4th grade) because she “didn’t believe” in homework. We also made a movie in her class.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
I never really hated any of my elementary teachers. That came in junior high.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
OMG, our school lunches were awesome. Back before the government stuck their noses in what kids ate, our schools hired local women to cook, not “food service companies,” and they cooked what they wanted. It was home-cookin’ every day. My favorite meal (I never brown-bagged) was ham-n-beans (WHITE BEANS, not brown beans) and we’d swirl ketchup on top.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
Play Charlie’s Angels. (I was Sabrina.)
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
Yes, for talking.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
Every year SOMEBODY puked. But I don’t remember anyone peeing their pants
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
Stay away from Dale Brown, honey. He’ll only break your heart.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
See #12. He lived one street over from me, and for one glorious week in 4th grade, he was my boyfriend. I wore his ID bracelet and he made me a poster that said “You are my sunshin” that I probably still have somewhere. But then he dumped me for that wh*re Kristin Gregory.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
I don’t remember any bullying. When grow up with the same people, you kinda don’t have any ammo on them since they have the same ammo on you.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
Only from my brother.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school? Never paid much attention to what I was wearing.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school? See #1
3) How did you get to school – walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.? Some by bus. Later walking or riding bike when we lived close enough.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
Tom. Don’t know the rest of his name. Bully. Problem stopped when he said he was going to beat me up at the bus stop for not giving him my pudding. So I waited for him. He got off the bus and RAN home. Never had a problem after that.
5) Describe which -type- you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
Shy academic type. Heavy reader. Computer nerd.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
Ms Allen, 6th grade. Actually cared for her students and paid attention to each on individually.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
I honestly don’t remember her name now. 5th grade. Would berate kids in front of the class for misunderstandings on assignments and the like.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
PB & J, grape jelly, smooth PB.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
4 square, tether ball, snowball fights (grew up in Michigan)
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
Nope.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar – for shame! – promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
Nope.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
Nothing before you are 20 is worth stressing over. Don’t borrow ANY money to finish college – the debt will be crippling. Girls in high school will like you more than you realize. You just won’t find out until you’re in your late 20’s.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
Crushes, yes. Too numerous to mention. Changed every couple of months.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
Oh yes. Frequent bully target. Attended 5 different grade schools and drew their attention every place. It stopped when I outgrew them all (I was 6′ tall and oever 150 lbs. by 8th grade).
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
Nope. Pretty laid back. After being targeted by bullies (one of who used me as a kick target with his steel toed boots for a few minutes one day), I tended to deplore senseless physical violence. Senseless, but not if there’s a reason. For example, I did slug the kid who tried to grab my hair and move me out of “his” seat in the gym. Bloodied his nose and prevented any future bullying at that school. The day after the aforementioned steel toed boot incident, I dropped him wiht a gut shot he wasn’t expecting and mentioned (in 4th grade language) that actions have consequences while he was gasping for breath. I usually had to have at least one incident like this at each school to stop the bullying thing, except 5th grade. There, I started the school year late, and by then a) I was one of the biggest kids in class, and b) I could stay in at recess and play chess.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school? Mostly I wore uniforms, but in kindergarten I remember wearing dresses–I had a dress in a “peanut butter & jelly” print (hard to describe, sorry) that I wore a lot. It was 1980, if that helps. Also I liked having my hair in two ponytails until it turned curly in 4th/5th grade.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
I hated the 7th & 8th grade uniforms–pink blouses with peter pan collars under solid grey jumpers, with a maroon “tie” and kneesocks. Maroon cardigan optional. Ugh.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
The school I went to from 3rd to 8th was far away and I had to get on the school bus waaay early. Hated it.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
Pretty much by the end of grade school everybody gave me grief, but “Shark Shakal” was one of the biggest jacka**es. Liked to repeat what I said.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
“Brainy girl”/”Loner,” but I was just really shy and anxious. And tired from being up early for the bus.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
It would be a tie. My 4th grade teacher was a tall, soft-spoken nun who dealt with us patiently and had fun ideas. We recited the times tables along with a puppet of Animal the muppet. My 8th grade teacher was “normal,” was pretty patient with the whole ridiculous class–but didn’t put up with any nonsense, either–she seemed to appreciate me and others as people. She seemed to like me not just because I was at the top of the class (which was one of the reasons nobody else liked me).
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
She wasn’t my teacher, but there was a semi-retired nun everybody feared. I think she helped out with the lower grades, probably because they didn’t tick her off so much. Rumor had it that in her younger days she was a terror and had thrown a boy in a trash can and rolled him down the cafeteria steps. Probably didn’t happen but it was one of those huge legends.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
Sometimes Mom bought lebanon bologna (T, you probably know what that is) and that was good to have in a sandwich. There were “hot” lunches just about every Wednesday–hot dogs, tomato pie–and those were pretty good.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
Younger: either running around like a lunatic or jumping rope; older: wandering the asphalt, trying to get in on conversations.
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
I had to sit out recess once in 2nd grade because I tore up another student’s drawing. It was so bizarre because it was totally out of character for me, but I was jealous and an older student suggested I do it. I’m pretty sure she was Satan in a plaid uniform.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
Actually, one time I burst into tears when my brother lost the spelling bee. I was an anxious kid. This did wonders for my reputation.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
Oh, I could fill a book. But I’d probably start with, don’t blame yourself, or don’t let any grownups tell you it’s your fault, for the terrible behavior of the other kids. And don’t think that all people are like that. There are cool people elsewhere.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
(You had shrubbery at school???) I had a major crush on a classmate who was absent for a while because he was acting in New York (might have been in a show)–he was one of the stand-ins for the little boy in “Witness.” I made the mistake of sending him a note and got rejected badly. In high school (I went to a different one from the rest of the class), he fell in with the “LifeTeen” crowd and became a youth minister–tried to recruit me by calling me and pretending to be interested in me. Fortunately I saw through it and said no thanks. Saw him a couple summers ago and realized how effeminate he looks. I’m sorry, but that made me feel better.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
By the time I got to middle school age, most of my classmates were preying on me on a regular basis. It sucked.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
Yikes. I didn’t do either, but I’m pretty sure the guys in my class gave them to each other. That was a rough crew.
ricki — “Erica Rude.” I can’t believe that name.
sheila — /In 4th grade, I wore a bonnet to school that my mother made – a la Little House on the Prairie./
Oh, no. Are there pictures?? That is so weird and adorable.
Rob — /“Well, look at the Mississippi Riverâ€./
The cruelty of that gives me the chills. Horrible. I want to hug 2nd-grade you.
Jeannine — Stephanie Ravioli! Haha. She sounds exhausting, though.
/She **yelled** at me and made me hide my show and tell item (a doll) in the classroom refrigerator because I didn’t follow the thematic instructions./
WHA??? That’s insane. I hate her, too. (And why the fridge, for God’s sake? So bizarre.)
Lisa — I need to see this skirt.
Also /Play Charlie’s Angels. (I was Sabrina.)/
Hahahaha. Angels came and went, but there was always Sabrina.
/I wore his ID bracelet and he made me a poster that said “You are my sunshin†that I probably still have somewhere. But then he dumped me for that wh*re Kristin Gregory./
Hahahahaha. But I now hate Kristin Gregory.
I’m telling you, pippa. Reading these, I feel all protective of your grade school selves.
Patrick — /(I was 6′ tall and oever 150 lbs. by 8th grade)./
Sounds like My Beloved. He was basically his full height, 6-3, by 12 or 13. People would think he was 18, treat him like he was 18, ask things like, “Can you drive me here or there?” or whatever. And he’d be, “But I’m 12!!”
Kate P — /Maroon cardigan optional./ I can’t even explain why, but that is cracking me up.
/Rumor had it that in her younger days she was a terror and had thrown a boy in a trash can and rolled him down the cafeteria steps./
I SO want that to be true, you have no idea. Hahaha. I mean, no, I’m not laughing, it’s terrible, but hahahaha. You must put that in the movie of your life.
/Saw him a couple summers ago and realized how effeminate he looks. I’m sorry, but that made me feel better./
HAHAHAHAHA! I totally understand that.
I love the detail with which we girls remember our clothes!!!
And gosh, gauchos. What a weird and terrible trend.
ricki — I am angry that you had to hide out in the principal’s office because kids were such bullies to you. I always wonder what’s become of kids like that, you know?
sheila — I know, I’m loving the details. And the contrast. The guys are all, “I don’t know, didn’t pay attention, my body was covered, whatevs.” And the girls are down to the last detail:
/Maroon cardigan optional./
Kate P remembers the optional attire. Hahaha.
Here is what I need to go on in life right now:
– Photo of Lisa’s skirt
– Photo of the Little House bonnet
– Also, I would not be opposed to a photo of little Lisa in gauchos.
Amen.
I wore it in my 1st grade class photo (group only) and I think I might have that somewhere. I’ll look. There are no photos of me in gauchos — all have been burned.
(Kristin Gregory ended up being one of The Beautiful People at our high school, so she moved on from Dale to older boys. The Beautiful People never dated amongst themselves, dontcha know. Beautiful Girls dated college boys, and Beautiful Boys dated freshmen girls.)
Tough survey. I don’t really remember a lot of grade school.
1. What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
— I can’t recall a favorite because I tended to lose so many things: jackets, gloves, hats, etc. Clothes preferences weren’t something my brain had room for.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
— It was the 70’s. It was all fairly dreadful.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
— always a bus.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
— The kids on the bus one year. When I reached fifth grade and beyond, I went to a smaller private school, and any bused children had to ride the short bus to get there; I was stranded with a bunch of behavioral-issues high schoolers who treated me like a cross between a chew-toy, a punching bag, and a dartboard. It was a moving jail full of Custer Cobkas.
(PS – I love the name Custer Cobka. Sounds like a kung-fu villian.)
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
— nerdy, eccentric, very small, so I really threw myself into gym and stuff like that to try to make up for it. Luckily I’ve always loved sports.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
— Mrs. Conroy, fourth grade. At the time I was considered a special education student by the State of New York and sent to their BOCES program, over the fierce protests of my parents. Mrs. Conroy thought that this was a flaming load of hooey, and began to teach me literature. She convinced a lot of teachers to give up spare time during the day to give me instruction in other subjects. I have her to thank for beginning my formal education and being my advocate within the system.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
— I’m not aware of one. There were teachers I didn’t care for but they didn’t leave much impression; it was hard flying all the way out to my private planet and only the good teachers bothered to make the trip.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
— we loved Friday pizza day. If I did get cold cuts it was usually something like olive loaf (ugh) so PBJ was never the horror for me that some other kids remember.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
— we played a charming game called Suicide. It only required a wall, a tennis or racquet ball, and very stupid children. The idea was to toss the ball so it hit the wall on the fly and bounced before being caught. If it was caught on the fly, or if the ball touched you and then the ground, you had to run for the wall and touch it before someone else pegged you with it. This required running full-speed into a brick wall in order to avoid the slim chance a ten-year-old was going to peg you, a moving object, with a soft, light object.
There was only one penalty for violations (such as hitting people who’d already reached the wall) – the offender stood against the brick wall, facing the wall, and all the other players got a free peg at him with the ball. We called it “asses up.”
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
— I was caught embellishing and captioning the pictures in textbooks. Surprisingly, we were never sent to the principal’s office for playing Suicide, mostly because the teachers didn’t meddle in our disputes unless someone got hurt.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
— Yes, except it was me. I couldn’t get the sub’s attention to excuse me and I just sat there squirming until it was too late.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
— All in all, it went far better than I could have hoped. Even the crappy things were valuable lessons on growing up that have served me well. Maybe I’d just encourage little Fly not to be so darned loud, is all.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
— No crushes until later on.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
— Bus bullies, but no class bullies that I can think of. A kid punched me after CCD class one Sunday, but that was a one-off.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
— Amazingly, the bus kids never did that to me. They would spit half-chewed Doritos onto my hair, whip me with ketchup packets, rip up my schoolwork, and deal Indian burns… but no wedgies.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
I can’t remember anything besides my blue dress that had an apple right in the center of the chest. So I guess that. Though now I’m not sure if the whole dress was blue. I think the sleeves were white. The skirt? I don’t know, as it isn’t in the school picture. I wasn’t really into clothes back then. And considering that I have a most woeful lack of fashion sense now, I don’t suppose I ever have been into clothes.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
Um, the apple dress?
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
Walking. We lived like six houses down from the school.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
Hmm. I don’t remember anyone making me miserable in elementary. They were all sweet kids, and I was the tiny smart girl whom the teachers all adored, and the kids adored the teachers, so no bullies or anything.
But then I got to middle school, and her name was (Pr)ephanie (St)escher. She was rotten until sometime in high school when she got over herself. She was nice to my face, we had sleepovers, and then she just… wasn’t anymore. Big gossip. Thought she was tough. People were scared of her, though she’d never been in a fight. And I *did* get in fights, so I should have just been like, “Bring it, harlot!” Near the end of high school, she was fine. And at the high school reunion really nice.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
Then I was the shy smart kid, the one who got sent to the principal’s office *to read for the principal* because she could read full books when the other kids were learning the alphabet. And also could do more advanced math than the other kids (we’re talking 4 numbers x 4 numbers when the other kids were doing 2 x 2). Ok, so I was teacher’s and principal’s pet.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
I loved them all! Mrs. Hopkins was kindergarten, Mrs. Koepp was 1st, Mrs. Hillers was 2nd and 4th, Mrs. Ray was 3rd… And I think 5th grade was Mrs. Schwarzer–sweetest lady, and walked on crutches due to childhood polio. Oh, and then there was Mr. Williams, the art teacher. Loved him.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
I don’t think I loathed any teachers, but it really hurt my feelings when I was *at the board* one day (writing down the names of the kids that the teacher told me to, because they were talking and whatnot–you did not want to have your name *on the board* and you always wanted to be the one *at the board*), and I must have daydreamed, and I heard Mrs. Ray say in a very loud voice, “Go to the board for me, please, BRANDY.” And I was thinking, what? *I’M* at the board! SARAH! And Mrs. Ray had apparently told me to write down someone’s name, and I hadn’t heard her, because I was doodling on the board with chalk and dreaming of whatever. So I totally got replaced at the board that day. I got to go back another day, but it still stung.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
Pizza. It was the pizza wedge. Always served with corn and salad. I would pull all the cheese and hamburgerish meat off the pizza, because the meat had fennel seed on it, and I do hate fennel. Then I’d scrape the bread with my fork and eat the tomato sauce and soggy bread that came off with it. Then I’d spoon my corn onto the bread wedge and eat crust with corn on it. Then, if I was still hungry, I would eat the cheese but not the meat.
And I liked chocolate milk.
Favorite brown bag–Ham and cheese sandwich. Mrs. Baird’s white bread, miracle whip, and the ham that has the cheese embedded in little squares in it.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
Played 4-square. And the day we went and took a tour of the middle school (we were in 5th grade), one of the student council kids was showing us the tennis courts and ball fields and the driveway area where people hung out during lunch. And I was like, “Um, where’s the 4-square?” He looked at me funny, and all the other kids who played 4-square with me every day acted like that was a silly question.
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
OH YES. Ok, so this was SO not my fault. Kris Grey! She did this to me! For P.E. one day, we were playing softball or kickball or one of those that requires bases and a field. And the class was too big for everyone to play on one field, so there was the main ball field and then bases (pieces of carpet) were set up way out in another field. So at the end of class, the bell rang, and we were all supposed to go inside. And Kris Grey says to me that Mrs. Atkins (the P.E. teacher–loved her too) wanted us to go out to the way outfield and pick up the bases. She wanted Kris and me to do it, according to Kris. So we did. And we didn’t go super-fast, because hey, we were outside! And then suddenly there are teachers and staff outside calling for us, and we run in, and we are in big trouble, because we were MISSING. I was like, but Mrs. Atkins said! And Mrs. Atkins was like, no I didn’t! And Kris shrugged or something. So we got sent to see Mr. Anderson, the principal. And he was so disappointed in me, his little principal’s pet. And I was like, but she told me that the teacher said to do it! And he called our moms and said that we should get pops for it. But he needed parent’s permission for pops. Well, guess whose mom said yes, give her pops, and guess whose mom said no?! That’s right. I cried and got the pops from the big wooden paddle, and stupid Kris Grey got nothing!
And then the other time was for reading in kindergarten (see #5).
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
No. And Caesar never should have been a word in a spelling bee. That’s a proper noun!
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
Don’t go to the outfield with Kris Grey! She’s poison! Also, in middle and high school do choir and band instead of Spanish.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
Brian Townsend. He lived one street over and was so cute.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
I don’t remember the elementary school bully, if there was one.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
Not that I recall. Brothers don’t count, right?
Kris Grey = b*tch.
Lisa, I know, right? It must be the Kr-Gr name thing, like your Kristen Gregory! What’s funny is that we were friends all through middle school. I don’t remember her much in high school. I wonder if she moved away.
And Lisa, I would have died for your cafeteria ladies! How nice!
Reading all these stories, I’m so glad I never rode the bus!
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
–the polyester patchwork pants my great-grandma made for me out of scraps of doubleknit polyester she’d used to make quilts.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
–besides the polyester patchwork pants? Sheesh! I used to think that an orange-striped shirt went well with some kelly-green shorts.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
–I rode the bus. The bus terrified me nearly every day, too… I was always rather frightened of the big kids.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school.
–James Walton, only because his name started with a “W” and mine started with a “Y” so we always had to stand together in line and he smelled really really bad. I don’t think he took baths.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc.
–I was the annoying chubby kid who knew all the answers to all the questions.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
–Probably Mrs. Packnett, because what a great name “Packnett” is! LOL! She was my first grade teacher and she used to parade me through the second grade classrooms bragging about how smart I was even though my mother had taught me to read before I even went to kindergarten.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
–Mrs. Smith, fourth grade. She hated me. I have no idea why. I probably reminded her of some kid she hated in school. At any rate she was always really extra-nasty to me. Even my mother noticed, and she always gave teachers the benefit of the doubt before jumping to conclusions.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both.
–That was back in the day when the lunchroom ladies made yeast rolls from scratch every day… gawd, I loved those yeast rolls.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
–I played horses. I *was* a horse… usually I pretended to be the stallion herding my mares around.
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
–Oh lordy, I would’ve died the death if I’d ever been sent to the principal’s office for any other reason than to get a gold star for something… I was a good kid and it never occurred to me NOT to be good.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
–My sixth grade teacher (a man) found a pair of panties wadded up on the floor in the classroom, held them up and said, “EWW!”… nobody knew whose they were, but I peeked into the garbage can later after class and recognized them. I guess they’d gotten caught in the leg of my pants in the wash and I hadn’t noticed when I put my pants on that morning, and they’d worked their way out by the time I got to school. I, of course, never said a word about it, but I was mortified. Truly mortified. I was thankful that my mom wasn’t one of the types to sew my name into the labels of my undergarments.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
–Don’t listen to people who tell you not to be an artist when you grow up.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
–LMAO!! A boy one year older had a crush on me but was embarrassed about it, so he asked me to follow him down to the creek one afternoon and we practiced kissing. I thought it was gross, but he seemed to like it a lot. haha
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
–I would never have bullied anyone, and I was terrified of bully-ish types so I tended to stay as far away from them as I possibly could. There was this one little serpent-girl whose dad was quite rich and she was just about as nasty and sly and sneaky as she could possibly be. Her name was Shannon, but her family was too good to use that common spelling, so they spelled it “Chanon.” Pretentious little snot, she was.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
–You bet, both. It was all in fun, of course.
Nightfly – “we played a charming game called Suicide”
That made me laugh out loud
Tracey – no photos of me wearing a BONNET to 4th grade exist. Thank goodness!! (It appears that I have photos of everything ELSE but not that!)
I just remember skipping across the playground and I loved the feeling of the little cloth straps under my chin.
Thank you Mother, for whipping me up an old-fashioned BONNET when I asked!
I believe it was lavendar with little white flowers.
Sarah k – I loved 4-square so much! I kind of want to play it right now!
Suicide! I forgot the boys liked that game. And I just remembered witnessing my classmate JP run and ram his head into the wall when we were in 2nd grade. That was a nasty gouge. But kinda cool-looking.
“Maroon cardigan optional”–you know, the leftover sweater (along with the socks and tie) from when you wore your ugly maroon plaid jumper from grades 1-6 (well, 3-6 b/c I transferred in) only amplified the ugliness, but kept you warm. I think they changed the jumper for 7th and 8th b/c the bodice on the plaid one was split down the front and kinda emphasized yer boo-bins. But grey, pink, and maroon together? Gross. I don’t know how the uniform company convinced the nuns to pick that, but I suspect lunch and cordials were involved.
Oh, and I’d also been the “fat kid” from 4th grade until the spring of 8th when I dropped 25 lbs., so I was swimming in that ugly jumper, too.
As for that mean nun–if all the boys were afraid of her and told those legends in awed whispers, then she just HAD to be THAT AWFUL. It was a far cry from my former touchy-feely school (which is why my parents transferred us kids out). My mom still apologizes for sending me there, to this day.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school? Red and green plaid dress with a green cardigan sweater ca 1961
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school? We got to wear shorts for field day, which was a huge deal.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.? We walked, or rode our bikes. We only lived one street over from the school. I can remember walking home the day Kennedy was assassinated, hurrying to get home to see the TV. He was supposed to have been in Austin that night.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school.
I honestly can’t remember anyone. Now, middle school…
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)Geeky smart literary kid.
6) Most beloved teacher and why? Mrs. Worley- third grade. She was like a strict, but warm, mom-type. She read us ‘Charlotte’s Web”. And her husband, who was a printer, made us all personalized notepads for Christmas.
7) Most loathed teacher and why? Didn’t loathe her, but fourth grade was not a great year. I blame New Math.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both. School lunch? the Thursday hamburger, with tater tots and Flying Saucers, which were enormous chewy oatmeal cookies. I’ve been looking for the recipe for 35 years. Brown bag? Meatloaf sandwich and a Hostess Sno-ball.
9) What did you usually do during recess? Jumped rope. At that time, we had no playground equipment, just some bars for the chin-ups required by the President’s Physical Fitness Tests (remember them? We had to be strong to kick the Russian’s tushies)
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx? No- but Mr. Chas. M. Jones inspired fear, instead of a warm, fuzzy pallsy feeling.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar? No- I had a singularly tranquil elementary experience. Except for disaster (read: bomb) drills.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice? Smart lasts, popular, not so much. Don’t worry about fitting in.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)I had the hugest crush on a red-headed kid in kindergarten. I used to kiss his straw when I was Milk Monitor. But grade school- no one stands out. There was the Universal Cute Guy, but he was staked out by the Universal Cute Girl.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.) There must have been someone, but I can’t remember. I was never bullied. It was just a less hostile time or place, I guess.
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie? I was wearing a skirt and a petticoat- who could give me a wedgie?
Sheila, me too! I would go outside and play it in the 20 degree weather this instant! I was so thrilled when I went to camp after seventh grade, and they had grids set up in the mess hall (drawn up with masking tape!). I was in 4-squarer’s heaven, I was.
NF, we called it Butts Up. Tennis balls hit harder, but racquetballs stung more. Ouchie.
Sal: //I used to kiss his straw when I was Milk Monitor.//
That is so so cute!!
Wait. Where are my comments?? I’ve made more comments!! My blog is rebelling against me — wha??
Okay. Let’s try again.
NF — I LOVE MRS. CONROY!!
sarahk — “Bring it, harlot.” I want a t-shirt that say that. Right now. Please. Make them.
Also, Kris Grey can suck it. And that teacher who replaced you at the board, too. Mmlehh.
Sal — I’m in love with your teacher’s husband who made you all personalized notepads. That is SO sweet.
(And tater tots are still the yummiest things ever. I PINE for tater tots.)
GraD — Seriously. I need to see me these pants. Yours — and Lisa’s skirt.
/I was the annoying chubby kid who knew all the answers to all the questions./
Aw. That answer just gets me. Li’l GraD!
/usually I pretended to be the stallion herding my mares around./
Hahahaha! You had to have cooperative mares though, right? How many mares were there? Hahaha. I love this image.
And your underwear story is horrible. I gasped out loud when I read what your teacher said. Poor GraD! Terrible! (And thank GOD your mom didn’t sew your name in. My mom wrote things in pen on my clothes.)
“Chanon.” I hate Chanon. And how can someone possibly say it’s pronounced “Shannon”? It is not. Shut up, CHanon.
sheila — /I loved the feeling of the little cloth straps under my chin./
Hahahaha. That is too adorable. Your mom is a gem.
And Sal, yes, I can’t stop picturing little Milk Monitor Sal kissing her beloved’s straw.
Precious.
Gee, Tracey, what a trip down memory lane!
Can I throw in a question? What’s your most vivid AV memory?
(From the days when teachers signed up for the AV room and film cannisters were delivered to your school):
We once saw a film about A Trip Around the World, which was nothing but a big old commercial for Coca-Cola. They’d show a famous tourist attraction and there’d be attractive young people of that nation standing in front of it, drinking Coke out of bottles. Big Ben? English people drinking Coke. The Eiffel Tower? Parisians, drinking Coke. The Sphinx, Egyptians ditto. Had China been open for tourism then, they’d have been drinking Coke in front of the Great Wall. I’m pretty sure some kid whose dad worked for Coke brought that one in.
And there were the deeply anticipated occasions when the teacher would let the AV kid run the film backwards. Hilarity ensued.
I don’t know about your school, but at ours, the AV boys were always cool, never nerds.
ZOMG I had totally forgotten what a huge treat it was when our teacher would run our film backwards!!!!! It was the best day EVAR and we laughed like hyenas every time somebody would be EATING SOMETHING BACKWARDS so that it looked like they were puking up, or when people would jump back OUT of the water. Thank you, Sal, for reminding me of that! My kids have no idea what that’s like.
1) What was your favorite thing to wear to school?
– I can’t remember a specific item. I actually loved most of my clothes. My mom was a pretty good shopper…and fairly hip for a mom.
2) What’s the weirdest thing you can remember wearing to elementary school?
– My mom made me a bicentennial dress. It was a long dress…went all the way to my feet, with patches of various red white and/or blue fabrics and patterns. Very 1976.
3) How did you get to school — walking, bus, carpool, cab, etc.?
– I walked…up hill both ways. Seriously, that was back in the day when kids could walk alone without being in mortal danger.
4) Name one other student who made your days miserable in grade school. If you don’t want to say the real name, give us one that rhymes or something. For instance, if your nemesis was really Buster Bobka, you could call him, oh, Custer Cobka or Fuster Fobka instead. See that? Oh, I hate that Custer Cobka SO much.
– I can’t really think of anyone. I am sure there must have been someone, but I have clearly blocked the ugly memories out.
5) Describe which “type†you were most like: class clown, prankster, shy kid, bully, etc. (Yes, please stereotype yourself for my amusement, thank you.)
– My motto, pretty much K through 12 was to blend in as much as possible. I was probably considered a “smart, nerdy” kid for the most part, but I was also an athlete. I wasn’t shy, but I did as little as possible to draw attention to myself. If the cool kids weren’t looking at me, they couldn’t find fault? If the bullies were focused on someone else, they were leaving me alone. That kind of thing. I was completely under the radar as much as possible.
6) Most beloved teacher and why?
– Sadly, I can’t remember many of my grade school teachers. I believe I liked them all, for the most part. Part of flying under the radar was having a harmonious, but not “teacher’s pet” relationship with all of my teachers.
7) Most loathed teacher and why?
– I didn’t hate any of my teachers either. But there was this one lunch room monitor that I loathed with a white hot loathing. I’m sure she was some kid’s mom volunteering, but I never knew whose. She was just flat mean. I wouldn’t have claimed her either. Poor kid.
8) What was your favorite school lunch or brown bag or both, if you partook of both?
– It seems like we covered this on another of Tracey’s wonderful quizzes, but I will happily answer again. I was a cafeteria lunch kid. I only got to take my lunch on field trip days, so of course I loved field trip days for that reason alone. The trip itself was just a bonus. My mom always made me a special lunch with my favorites…pepperoni sandwich, Cheats, and some kind of snack cake, typically a Ding Dong. Then of course there was always the foil wrapped can of soda…which was unheard of when milk was available, but on field trip days, all bets were off.
9) What did you usually do during recess?
– Played on the “eagles nest” or money bars, hopscotch, four squares…whatever my friends were doing.
10) Did you ever get sent to the principal’s office, and if so, for what, you naughty minx?
– Only once, by the mean, horrible lunch room monitor. I remember this like it was yesterday. I was trying to save a seat at one of the long tables for my friend, but that was forbidden. You had to slide all the way down, no matter who you were sitting with. So the lunch room lady, we will call her Biddy, yelled at me until I had no choice but to scoot all the way down. Another kid who I did not particularly like saw all of this, and when Biddy turned her back, he began to make fun of me. Apparently, he was quiet about it though, because all Biddy heard was me saying “Shut up!” toward her retreating back. She thought I was talking to her, and refused to listen to any alternative theories on the matter. I got sent to the principal’s office, and I got a “ticket.” I was so upset, because I was in 6th grade, and I had never gotten a “ticket” ever before, from Kindergarten forward. The “ticket” penalty was you had to sit in class and study at the end of the month, instead of attending the reward movie, which came complete with pop corn. Also, that night was my basketball pizza party, and I was just positive my parents would not let me go upon learning of the “ticket.” Luckily, they did, because they believed my story…which was the truth. I did get a lecture about telling people to “Shut Up” however. Hey Biddy…if you’re out there do me a favor and “SHUT UP!” Finally…I actually did what I got in trouble for doing. I feel so much better!
– Oh, and one thing I do remember about our principal…he wore the same suit every day for 7 years. I am NOT kidding. Every day! It was a yellow and green plaid sport coat, and green pants. EVERY DAY! Gotta love the 70’s.
11) I saw a kid pee his pants during our third grade spelling bee. He could not spell Caesar — for shame! — promptly lost his wee and sat down in tears. Witness anything similar?
– There was a boy named Billy something or other, and he was the class pee’er. He peed his pants almost daily until 2nd grade. But even after he stopped, he was still irrevocably branded. Poor kid.
12) What would you say now to your grade school self? A word of encouragement? Warning? Advice?
– Don’t be so nervous. Who cares if some people don’t like you? Be bold. Have fun. In the end it will be just fine.
13) Any grade school crushes? Names? Descriptions? Kissing in the playground bushes? (I did not!)
– I was a big “crusher.” I always had a crush on somebody. I remember two in particular. In 3rd grade, a boy named Brett Brown used to have a crush on me. He followed me all over the playground, and begged me (literally) to “go with him.” I ran. The long about 5th grade, I decided he was very, very cute. Alas, he was so over me. I had fits of crush on this boy all the way through 9th grade, when I moved away. He became a certified hot bad boy in middle school, and my 14 year-old self never forgave my 8 year-old self for being so stupid.
– Second was a boy named Danny Martinez. He was my first “boyfriend.” I was supposed to be tutoring him in math, but instead we held hands. One day he gave me a bracelet to wear. It has his name on it. I wore it for a few days, and carefully took it off and hid it in my “tote tray” every afternoon before going home. I just had an idea that my parents would not think this was an appropriate commitment for two 5th graders. Eventually, after like a week, the nerves got the better of me, and I gave the bracelet back before things got entirely too serious.
14) Who was the school bully and did he/she ever bully you? (Or were you the bully? I am so disappointed in you, tsk tsk.)
– There were two…Lance Paplow and the other one whose name I cannot remember, but he had fire engine red hair and about a million freckles. They pretty much left me alone, although in kindergarten, Lance and I both had to stand in the corner on Halloween because he was, appropriately, dressed as a devil, and I was dressed as a hobo, and we began having a “sword” fight with our respective accessories (pitchfork and bag on a stick).
15) And, honestly now, did you ever give or receive a wedgie?
– I don’t think so.
“CHEATS” above in question 8 should read Cheetos! Spell check gone awry!
Tracey, I always figured the kids who picked on me were the kids who “peaked” in high school and spent the rest of their lives reminiscing about when they were Homecoming Queen or when they scored that big goal.
Or maybe they grew up and realized how mean they had been as little kids, and vowed to be nice as adults. One can only hope.
Another weird clothing item I remember? Wearing shorts (like gym shorts or the shorts I wore in the summer) under skirts/dresses. Because you could NOT be doing “penny drops*” on the jungle gym and have boys seeing your underwear. You just could NOT.
(*I don’t know if that was a general term or a my-town-specific term. It was when you pulled yourself up on the monkey bars and kind of did a flip over them. It amazes me now that I ever had that kind of upper body strength, but then I was a skinny little kid so I didn’t have that much body to hoist up)
ricki – I saw my main tormentor at our 20th year high school reunion, and she was hunched up at the bar, and angry and sort of had a chip on her shoulder. But there was all this insecurity there, too – and she was drinking way too much, and everyone kind of left her alone. Still. She had made my life hell in junior high – I had lived in FEAR of her- but when I saw her at the reunion, I just felt sad. Like, what kind of pain had SHE been in back then to have to turn another human being into a target? It was strange to feel pity for her, but I did. Pain just radiated off of her. Of course I couldn’t see it as a 12 year old, but boy, I saw it at the reunion.