Do you remember 5th grade with Mrs. White?
How could I forget?!
Remember she wore those old dresses? And those old shoes? But when she made us run around the track, she used to change into her sneakers first!
There was a spare dress hung in the closet at the back of the room. Why would she need a spare dress? Was she planning on staying overnight?
She made us all chip in 25 cents to buy Mr. Edmunds, the janitor, a tie for Christmas. I think she had a crush on him. I always assumed she was a widow; we never knew her real story.
She believed in corporal punishment. She used to threaten to hit us with the hairbrush! Sandy B. said, “She would have to catch me first.” Sandy B. never did a wrong thing in her life. She had nothing to worry about.
I think it was Dave P. who said “I’m not afraid of that dog brush!”
Mrs. White’s jaw dropped in shock. Never had she heard such disrespect.
I don’t know if it was illegal by then for a teacher to hit a student. Maybe that is why she just threatened and didn’t use it.
But I know it was illegal to pray in school by then, but we nevertheless started the day with the “Our Father.”
She did the protestant version. “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” That threw off us Catholics.
We pledged allegiance to the flag, and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands. That’s right. Republic; not democracy.
We had air raid drills, and went out into the hallway and squatted down, ducked down against the wall and put our hands over our heads. Sometimes we practiced it by getting under our desks.
It was a different generation for sure.
Tomorrow, God Willing….part 2.
SueAnn Porter 