SCHOOL DAYS ARE HERE

I loved school! My brothers enjoyed school! It was an opportunity for us to have other kids to play with because we lived out in the country and had no close neighbors. By the time the school year rolled around we had played with each other all we wanted to. Of course we had church activities and friends who visited but for the most part, we just had each other, the farm and our imaginations to keep us occupied.

Back in the olden days school didn't start until the Tuesday after Labor day. It was a day I anticipated and prepared for weeks. Mama would have been sewing for many days to make me new dresses. She would have gone to Liddell's, Weatherbees, and Williams department stores to buy pretty gingham checks and plaids to make me new outfits. I always wanted to wear them before she washed them and I loved the smell of new cloth and would preen before the mirror while mama plaited my hair or tied it in pony tails thinking I had to be the best dressed girl in my class because Mama was a master seamstress.

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The shoes would have been purchased from Myers in Selma and most likely were Buster Brown lace up or had a strap. Mama and daddy didn't think loafers were a good bargain so we didn't have them. We would go to Myers and put our feet under an x-ray thing which would show the bones of our feet and tell you which size you needed. We always bought about a half size larger than we needed so we wouldn't outgrow them by Christmas. You would stand up with your new shoes on, mama would press her thumb on the toe of the shoe and if she didn't have a thumb's width at the toe we got the next half size up. We had plenty of room in our shoes to grow. You just laced them up a little tighter or pulled that strap across the instep a notch tighter so they wouldn't slip up and down. I didn't wear them out of the store because I wanted them to look brand new on the first day of school with my new dress.

My brothers didn't have to have new shoes  because most of the boys in Wilcox County Alabama didn't wear shoes to school until the 7th grade. They all went barefoot but in new jeans and knit shirts. The jeans were bought at Southern Wholesale in Selma through Mr. Leatherwood. Can't remember how we got this privilege but it sure helped out when outfitting 3 kids .

We would all five make the trip to Selma to buy our school clothes. The boys would get 6 pairs of jeans, 6 knit shirts - long and short sleeves, 6 pairs of underwear and undershirts, and a package of 6 socks. The jeans were always too long and rolled up to last all year. Sam was always difficult to get the right size for he was a skinny little rascal and they would always be too big in the waist and mama would have to put tucks in them or buy the ones with elastic in the back. I would get the underwear, cotton of course and sometimes mama could get some material to make my dresses.

I can remember those jeans smelling new and so stiff they would chafe the inside of the legs when you wore them. Mama would wash them to help but back in those days we didn't have clothes softeners so you had to wear them to break them in. They would look so handsome on the first day of school with new jeans rolled up, new knit shirts (striped of course), fresh haircuts, thanks to mama or daddy, and their new book satchels. The bare feet would be peeping out the bottom of the jeans with soles as tough as leather.

We would wait anxiously for the big, yellow bus driven by Mrs. Tubberville to appear over the little hill to our left. Hair shining, teeth brushed, clean as whistles, and jumping with excitement we waited impatiently. The bus would almost be full by our time to get on, but someone would always save us a seat. The elementary kids sat up front and the big kids in the back but there was usually no trouble for Mrs. Tubberville was tough. She didn't put up with any foolishness especially if some of the big kids were picking on a little one. She was fiercely protective of her little ones. We all loved her and she also ran our lunchroom. Except for the overcooked cabbage, the food was  good.

When we got to school we would run to our classrooms and I mean run unless you were in high school. That would not have been cool. Our teachers would be waiting on us and we would enter that room which smelled of chalk dust, paste, and little bodies. I loved that smell because it meant we were going to learn something. It was exciting, challenging and FUN. Yes we had fun! I will tell you more about that later. We knew our teachers personally and they knew each of us and our parents. If you were "from" there, they also knew your whole family for generations. It was comforting and secure.

It's sad that in some cases this is no longer true. School to us was a magical world of reading, writing and arithmetic with a caring teacher and administration. This magical world is why I became a school librarian. I wanted to be a part of this wonderful place of learning,  

Nuff Said

The Georgia Peach (transplanted from Alabama)

First Day of School

Morgan and Katelyn Ready for School

Good morning. Ya'll come on in to the 'Net Porch for a glass of tea and some remembering. Want to reminisce today so bear with me and maybe you will remember with me. If so, please use the comment form on the top left of the blog and let me know. I like to have conversation rather just talking to the air.

These are 2 of my great-nieces and I mean GREAT. They are all ready for the first day of the 2009-10 school year in Texas. This is Morgan's first year of kindergarten and I know she has a few butterflies fluttering around in her stomach but her big sister, Katelyn, will be there to help her through the "new" experience. I hope she will enjoy it as much as I did.

I loved school! My brothers enjoyed school also for our parents liked to learn and taught us how important it was. It was also an opportunity for us to have other kids to play with for we lived out in the country and had no real close neighbors. By the time the school year rolled around we had played with each other all we wanted to. Of course we had church activities and friends who visited but for the most part, we just had each other, the farm and our imaginations to keep us occupied.

Back in the olden days school didn't start until the Tuesday after Labor day. It was a day I anticipated and prepared for weeks before. Mama would have been sewing for weeks to make me new dresses, skirts and blouses. She would have gone Liddell's, Weatherbees, and Williams to buy pretty ginghams checks and plaids to make me new outfits. I always wanted to wear them before she washed them and I loved the smell of new cloth and would preen before the mirror while mama plaited my hair or tied it in pony tails thinking I had to be the best dressed girl in my class. Mama was a master seamstress so I could have been.

The shoes would have been purchased from Myers in Selma and most likely were Buster Brown lace up or had a strap. Mama and daddy didn't think loafers were a good bargain so we didn't have them. We would go to Myers and put our feet under a x-ray thing which would show the bones of our feet and tell you which size you needed. We always bought about a half size larger than we needed so we wouldn't outgrow them by Christmas. You would stand up with your new shoes on, mama would press her thumb on the toe of the shoe and if she didn't have a thumb's width at the toe we got the next half size up. We had plenty of room in our shoes to grow. You just laced them up a little tighter or pulled that strap across the instep a notch tighter so they wouldn't slip up and down. I didn't wear them out of the store though for I wanted them to look brand new the first day of school with my new dress.

You remember my brothers didn't have to go through this for the boys in the South didn't wear shoes until the 7th grade. They all went barefoot but in new jeans and knit shirts. The jeans were bought at Southern Wholesale in Selma through Mr. Leatherwood. Can't remember how we got this privilege but it sure helped out when outfitting 3 kids for school.

We would all five make the trek to Selma to buy our school clothes. The boys would get 5 pairs of jeans, 5 knit shirts - long and short sleeves, 5 pair of underwear and undershirts, package of 6 socks. I would get the underwear, cotton of course and sometimes mama could get some material for me. The jeans were always too long and rolled up to last all year. Sam was always difficult to get the right size for he was a skinny little rascal and they would always be too big in the waist and mama would have to put tucks in them or buy the ones with elastic in the back.

I can remember those jeans smelling new and so stiff they would chafe the inside of the legs when you wore them. Mama would wash them to help but back in those days we didn't have clothes softeners so you had to wear them to break them in. They would look so handsome that first day of school with new jeans rolled up, new knit shirt (striped of course), fresh haircuts, thanks to mama or daddy, and their new book satchels. The bare feet would be peeping out the bottom of the jeans with soles as tough as leather.

We would wait anxiously for the big, yellow bus driven by Mrs. Tubberville to appear over the little hill to our left. Hair shining, teeth brushed, clean as whistles, and jumping with excitement we waited impatiently. The bus would almost be full by our time to get on, but someone would always save us a seat. The elementary kids sat up front and the big kids in the back but there was usually no trouble for Mrs. Tubberville was tough. She didn't put up with any foolishness especially if some of the big kids were picking on a little one. She was fiercely protective of her little ones. We all loved her and she also ran our lunchroom. Except for the overcooked cabbage, the food was pretty good.

When we got to school we would run to our classrooms and I mean run unless you were in high school. That would not have been cool. Our teachers would be waiting on us and we would enter that room which smelled of chalk dust, paste, and little bodies. I loved that smell for it meant we were going to learn something. It was exciting, challenging and FUN. Yes we had fun! I will tell you more about that later. We knew our teachers personally and they knew each of us and our parents. If you were "from" there, they also knew your whole family for generations. It was comforting and secure.

It's sad that in some cases this this no longer true. School to us was a magical world of reading, writing and arithmetic with a caring teacher and administration. Sometimes I miss it which is why I became school librarian so I could be a part of the magical world of learning.

So to all you students, enjoy each day of this experience and learn all you can. It can be hard and it can be scary but most new things are until you experience them. Don't be afraid to try all these new experiences even if you don't master it the first, second or third time. How will you learn if you don't try it. Learning opens up great, new worlds and without these new worlds, life will be terrible boring. Just suck it up, get on the big yellow bus and ride to the "new."

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Off they go to the wide world of learning!

****************************************************************************

Friday's Fantasies

Good morning ya"ll. Would invite you into the house, but I am at Lowndes High School subbing again today. Why I keep saying yes is a mystery especially in a math classroom for you know I think math is voodoo or black magic. I do like the extra money and seeing friends is always a pleasure. It also is a great reminder of why I retired after 25 years. Most students are great people, but on the other side are those you wonder where they came from - hatched or aliens.

Through the years I have heard teachers use several adjectives to describe these students not with malice but with wonder or amazement. Some of the adjectives I remember: rocks and pebbles, roaches,and wondering if their parents were from another planet. These are the students that it doesn't matter what methodology you use, it doesn't get through the fog which surrounds them. You get a blank stare and the eyes are not always focused. You want to use a fog-light to penetrate the denseness to attempt to let the light of knowledge peek through. Some times it is a hopeless situation for they think walking around in a fog is normal. Hello people, you need some education.

Once I was counciling a 5th grader to study harder and make good grades. It was a country school and about that time a pulp wood truck went by and I told him that was what he would be doing if he didn't buckle down and study. A look of puzzlement wandered across his face and he asked me what was wrong with driving a pulp wood truck? "That's what my daddy does." Talk about open mouth insert foot, I inserted both feet. I backtracked quickly and began to assure him there was nothing wrong with being a pulp wood driver, but if he studied and became smart, he could own several trucks which made sense to him.

Back on track - on a social studies test, a teacher asked for the name of the continents and 1 student named cities and didn't know why it was marked incorrect. The student thought they were one and the same because they both began with the letter "C." Made sense to her. Some think states are nations, continents are countries but they do know the cell phone numbers for all their friends and enemies. Also every rock band, rock song, and in some case every NASCAR driver and country artist. This proves they have the ability but not the "want to."

My experience was in the media center/library and it was great. This did lead to some great questions for we are supposed to know everything. We would get questions such as, "Do you know that brown book I used for my research paper last week? I need a page number." Needless to say, we had several hundred "brown" books and we had usually helped several hundred students with research papers.

My questions would then commence such as: "Who were your researching? Oh, Mark Twain. Well that narrows it down to about 60. Now what wast he topic on Mark Twain? Oh, Tom Sawyer. Weeel that brings it down to about 20. Do you remember what was on the cover? No, well how big was it? Can't remember?" The next step was to begin pulling the many books about Tom Sawyer and try to locate 1 page for that 1 sentence that had been used in the paper. Of course, they had been told repeatedly to write down the source of their information. After about an hour, we would find the book and everyone would be happy.

Another request would drive me up the wall. "Do you remember that blue or brown, or red, book I had last week." Of course I do, for I can remember what every student from a student body of over 2,000 reads. A piece of cake, right? So the questions would begin and most of the time we would strike gold and all would be happy.

We were helping 1 student with research on a musician and she asked I knew a man named "Batch." Right off the top of my head I couldn't think of one, but knowing she was researching composers, I asked her if it could "Bach" as pronounced "bahck " and she looked rather puzzled and said maybe. "Is he a famous composer?" to which I replied, well maybe but why don't we see if maybe that could be the person she was researching. Of course, it was and she was a happy camper and I was about to roll on the floor of my office laughing.

Checking out books was interesting for some parents seem to think the stranger the name the better. One of my students gave me his name to enter into the computer and when asked for his name responded "George Washington" to which I almost responded, "And I'm Abe Lincoln." Thank goodness I filtered that time. Many times I had to ask for pronunciation of names so I would not make a complete jumble of it. Not sure why parents think those unpronounceable names are cute for they have to learn how to spell them and we have to learn how to pronounce them.

A friend of my brother, many years ago named his little girl "Pajama" pronounced "pay jah may" with emphasis on the Pay. Now do I have to say he was a college football player? Don't get me wrong, I know some smart college football players but......

Well, I have wasted enough of your time for today but it has been fun telling you some of my school experiences. I have a couple of million and will share again. Let me know if you have some, just comment!

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Southern Childhood Games

Good morning. I am not drinking coffee and you don't want to come to see me today for I am subbing at Lowndes High today in voodoo (math). This is really a hoot for I am not a math person and don't want to be although some of my best friends and family ares That gene did not become a part of my genetic makeup. However, after 25 years as a school librarian and teacher, I can read instructions and keep them quiet and on task.

I think not liking math goes back to my 1st grade teacher who made us do our math before school started and if we didn't we had to do it at recess. Because my bus was always late, I never had recess in the morning. In the good old days we recess in the morning and afternoon. In today's schools, you don't have recesses, you have PE and are graded on it. The poor children are missing a lot of fun for recess was great, especially if you lived in the country and did not have playmates close by. We had slides, jungle gyms and we ran and chased each other and played games.

Have you ever heard of the game, jacks? You have these little metal jacks and little rubber ball which you throw up in the air and while it is in the air you pick up the jacks and catch the ball. You began with one and added one with each toss of the ball. I was good at it and loved to play with the other girls.

Another of our favorite games was hopscotch. You drew a group of squares on the dirt and threw a rock and then hopped through the squares skipping the one with the rock. I am including a link for those who are from the modern days. It was great fun and occasionally I still see children playing it with those mind-grabber things in their ears. How can you use your God-given imagination if your head is full of stuff you listen to from those little ear buds stuck in your ears?

Then there were the team games like Red Rover and Dodge Ball. These could get pretty rough and you could do some serious damage with that ball you threw at people if they couldn't run fast enough to escape. Of course, you tried to take out those you didn't like first and it could become pretty ruthless. After all, we played to win, not just play. Being little and quick was a great advantage and I used it with great success.

I did have trouble with Red Rover though for I couldn't hold very tightly and people could run through my arms. This one usually was my downfall but I would give it my best. It wasn't my fault I was a little runt as my friends would say. Mama put a brick on my head so I wouldn't grow very tall and granddaddy gave me coffee which stunts your growth.

We also had a little school store which would open in the afternoon recesses where we could by a coke for a dime, a candy bar for a dime, and several candies for a nickel. They even had chocolate milk and orange juice and we would take our dimes and nickels, if we had them, and enjoy. Now we didn't always have money, but mama would give us homemade cookies, cupcakes or other goodies to take and this was even better. Other kids would beg for a bite for everyone knew how mama could cook! She was the one who always brought the cupcakes for our class parties.

This is another thing our kids don't get to enjoy. Our room mothers gave us parties at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines and Easter. The last day of school was always a field trip and big picnic. Then there were birthday parties throughout the year. Did we have school? We sure did and it was hard, but we also had time to enjoy being a kid. We also didn't have all these little electronic mind grabbers which suck out our brains and make us brain dead.

School is certainly different these days. I have seen more boobs and butts and heard more trash talk than I have heard since I left in June. Thank goodness it is a minority but where in heaven's name are the parents and why don't they teach these bright, young minds respect for adults and that trash talk is wrong?

This enough sermonizing for today and....

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach