This past week at work I needed to charter a bus for a tour some of our employees are conducting through a town outside of Pittsburgh for a comp plan they are working on. This led to a whole discussion on what to properly call different size buses…which then led to an exchange of our memories of riding school buses. By far, one of my more memorable daily school bus rides was the first half of third grade in Lewisburg, Tennessee. The previous year, the new elementary school had been built on the other side and up the hill from the back field of our house. It would have been a very easy walk up the mown trail to school each day, but I was honestly too scared to do it. And since the bus would pick me up, drive the quarter mile around the corner, and drop me off…well, who needed to walk? But as I was the last one to get picked up, but the first to be dropped off, my selection of seats was limited. So I would squeeze into the one free: right next to two middle school best friends. They reminded me of the villains in 101 Dalmatians: one was short and stout and the other tall and skinny. Both gave me the evil eye the whole two minutes I squeezed beside them. Talk about a miserable start to your day!
But third grade itself wasn’t bad, although it would be my first run in with bullies: namely a 4thgrader who thought I was fun to pick on the few times I would run into her. I could say she was racist, but it’s not politically correct to say racism goes both ways. And I can’t say she hated me because I was white…it was probably more likely because I would cower. I don’t know why, except she was bigger and I have a mortal fear of being noticed. So, to be singled out even to be scoffed at…well, I wasn’t a fan. I just wanted to be left alone! Thankfully our run-ins can be counted on one hand. And while it left it’s mark on my memory, I certainly never valued myself through her eyes. For school, as a whole, was a good experience.
Again, Mrs. Edwards had gone to school with my parents or something. She certainly knew who I was, who my parents were, and who my grandmother was. Even more disconcerting, so did the new principal of the school. At that time, it never occurred to me that the principal of Marshall County had also known exactly who I was. Probably because she never singled me out, but I clearly remember this principal singling me out when he happened to be in the hall the same time as our class. It was nothing new to be “Mrs. Ogilvie’s granddaughter”, but it was new that the principal brought that to the attention of everyone within hearing range. So much for being unnoticed!
Third grade was a novelty and I’m not sure if that was because of Mrs. Edwards or because it was a new school and we were now “older”. We had lockers in our classrooms instead of a cloakroom. They were half lockers and I worried my entire four months there how I was to get my new winter coat to fit in it. I was very proud of that pink store-bought coat with a teal scarf, but it went down to my knees and I was convinced it would not fit in my locker. Since it was Tennessee, though, and we moved just after Christmas it never got cold enough to test my theory.
We also didn’t have a bathroom in the classroom. They were down the hall. I had another fear I’d get in trouble for taking too long in the bathroom. Other kids did. Of course, they were goofing off while I was going as fast as I could lest I get scolded! We didn’t have as many fun school supplies, we switched classes twice (well, I only switched for reading and just across the hall as Mrs. Edwards was my math teacher as well as “homeroom” teacher). Another fear: getting lost going to my other class. Like you can get lost when you never even left the third-grade hallway!
Mrs. Edwards also had higher expectations of homework, turning things in on time, and doing our work neatly. I don’t know if this was just her teaching style or the marker set for third grade. I just remember I would use most of my spare time in class getting ahead on my homework. For I had yet another fear of not turning it in on time and getting my name put on the board. I remember a couple of my friends thinking I was crazy to be doing my math homework instead of some fun art project. “Missa, you can do it at home!” I remember Katie Lovett telling me. Instead, I did it in school and would finish everything so early Mrs. Edwards would set me to grading things or helping her with a bulletin board. I think some kids took that as favoritism. It was probably more keeping me busy, and I liked doing those kinds of things so it drove me even more to finish my homework in school.
Looking back, with all my fears I should have probably had therapy in third grade! At the same time, starting my third grade year in a new school with lots of new experiences prepared me for the school I would attend when we moved from Tennessee to New Hampshire the day after Christmas. While there was a lot of new experiences, I had the same old friends and familiar out of school activities. After Christmas break, all that would change!
Me in 3rdgrade: classic 80’s side ponytail and baggy sweater with weird geometric shapes in wild colors!
No comments:
Post a Comment