We want to hear your opinion…
Yay! School’s out for Summer! But before we forget the school year, I thought it would be a good time to ask you about your old school memories. I’m sure the kids of today remember very different things than my generation.
For example, remember getting chosen to clean erasers? You’d gather up all those chalky erasers and head down to the maintenance room just off the gym (which also doubled as the lunchroom). With a flip of the switch, that machine was ready to suck every last bit of chalk out of the erasers as you moved the eraser back and forth in the tray. Nothing like the smell of chalk, eh?! I doubt many kids of today will know the thrill of cleaning erasers!
And remember film days? The teacher would send you down to the AV room to wheel back the ginormous projector on the wobbly cart. If you were really lucky, you got to load the film from the reel into the projector and then rewind the film at the end. I always loved how those old educational films started with that black and white countdown before the movie. Good memories! Kids of today watch programs on flat screen televisions or on their computers. It’s too bad they don’t get to experience real film!
Long before there were computers, or printers, or copy machines, there was the mighty mimeograph! Oh, how I loved the smell of fresh copy, straight off the mimeograph machine! It was a thrill to get chosen to accompany the teacher to the front office, to help crank the handle of the machine, and watch it spit out copy after copy of math worksheets or spelling lists.
I also loved walking to and from school. Of course, we were told to stay on the road or sidewalks, but inevitably, we found ourselves walking along the creek. If you weren’t careful, you’d slip on the banks of the creek and fall in and then have to go to school with wet shoes. But the memories and friendships made on those walks were priceless.
So how about you?
I remember all those things you mention! I also remember when you could only have your dress length 5 inches from your knee. If it was shorter than that, you were sent home. We also weren’t allowed to wear pants, you had to wear dresses. You used to hear the clacking of typewriter keys as you walked by the typing class and the fast students really banged them out. I remember the gum jars that some teachers kept for those who dared to come into class chewing gum. You had to deposit it in this clear jar and seeing all those disgusting chewed pieces each time you were caught was so unpleasant. And all the bells that would ring when class was over and it was time to go to your next class before the bell rang again. You sure had to hustle to get to some in time! So many memories!
Thank you SO much for sharing your memories, Pam! I had forgotten about the school bells. Makes me think, too, about the morning announcement over the PA. And typewriters…. I loved typing class! All fun memories! 🙂
I liked walking to and from school, too. Were students Patrol Officers at your school? A Patrol Officer wore a little white strap with a badge pinned on it across the front of their shirt, a policeman-style hat, and carried a stop/go sign. When students came to a crosswalk, the Patrol Officer would walk out into the crosswalk stopping the traffic to let the students cross. I really liked that job and remember getting Patrol Captain of the year once at an Awards Assembly. Four Square…now that was a game you could get into. How about Tetherball?
Mrs. A – I’m envious! I always wanted to be a school crossing guard, but the school thought I was “too chatty”. LOL. Congratulations on the Patrol Captain of the Year! 🙂
Ah… Four Square and Tetherball. Loved both! My boys play Four Square on our driveway all the time with friends, and we have a tetherball set up near their fort. Now Dodgeball was another story….
Thank you for sharing your memories – what fun!