Do you remember your first day of school?

I guess there's a couple!

The first day ever is burned into my memory because the teacher was testing what we knew and I already knew how to read and all that jazz, so she put me by myself while she started the others on their ABC's and had me practice penmanship. I think it was the letter H when I messed up and then I went to erase it and realized the pencil had no eraser so I cried hysterically and tried to hide the paper. The teacher left the kids to come over and they all were staring as she tried to tell me it was okay, but I wasn't having any of it and was very upset that people would make pencils without erasers, then she introduced me to erasers not attached to pencils and then I thought she was a goddess. I'd never known pencils to have erasers, or erasers to be a separate entity from pencils.

A couple years later, new school, new place. There was a girl in the class who raised her hand and told the teacher she was having a "potty." I suggested she go to the bathroom and I got in trouble and didn't understand it but they didn't believe me. Found out later that she has a speech problem and was trying to tell us she was having a party. I ended up getting invited and then she wouldn't sleep without the nightlight on and we just never quite got along after all that.

Yet another first day was years later. The bus came and I and my brother tried to get on and find a seat...new state, new school, and we couldn't see a thing. We bumped into each other and just busted up laughing because we both found it ridiculous that the bus came so early we couldn't even see to find out seats.

My brain is melting!

 

I do.

First day, Hueytown Elementary. I had Mrs. Campbell.

My mother had the flu so my big sister, Terri, who was in high school and whos every step I worshipped, took me. I remember the whole way to school, she said "Wouldn't it be great if Mrs. Harper was your teacher?" Mrs. Harper and her husband were great friends of our family and we went camping with them every weekend. She was an older lady, a very sweet grandmotherly type, and I was hoping I would draw her as my teacher.

But, instead, I got Mrs Campbell, who was also very nice.

So Terri walked me all through the school and told me what every thing was and where all of the cool places to hide and to play were and introduced me to all of her old teachers. All my short life, I had been told that I couldn't do what the big kids were doing because I was too little and I was so excited because, finally, I was doing something my brother and sister did.

When she finally brought me to Mrs. Campbell's class and I realized that I didn't get Mrs. Harper (unbeknownst to us, she was now teachng the second grade...and wouldn't you know that when I got to the second grade, she moved to the third!), I started to cry. Terri took me out into the hallway and dried my eyes and told me that she had Mrs. Campbell and how nice she was, how she knew that I was disappointed, but that I mustn't hurt Mrs. Campbell's feelings by telling her how disappointed I was.

Turns out that I had Mrs. Campbell and then Mrs. Hodges and never did have Mrs. Harper, although when Mrs. Hodges was pregnant, we got to go to Mrs. Harper's class for a few hours a day.

 

My first day of school would have been about 59 years ago. I remember my first school but not my first day. It was one room; that's all I remember about it.

 

My earliest memory K garden? is of being stabbed in the hand by another kid with a pencil. I have a black mark under the skin on one hand and have always thought it was caused by the graphite in the pencil. Don't know if that is technically possible.

 

First day of school for me was at Jim Cherry Elementary School. I rode the bus with a little girl from my neighborhood who was a little older and could help me find my way to class. My teacher's name was Mrs. Frye, and she was mean! Not warm and fuzzy like first grade teachers should be. I wore a red plaid dress with a big, white collar (very chic back in 1963) and I felt very grown up. I fell on the playground, skinned up my knee, and was taken to the clinic. The school nurse put on a bandaid for me. Oh, and my best friend's name was Kathy. She broke her leg over the summer and was on crutches for a few weeks after school started. Wonder what happened to her...maybe I'll find her on facebook. LOL

 

Wasn't Jim Cherry the Superintendent of Schools for DeKalb County? I guess your school was named after him. My first school was down the street a bit from yours -- Snapfinger Elementary. I remember walking to school with my older sister and neighborhood friends. I had the best ever first grade teacher -- Mrs. Christian. I don't remember much about her other than we all thought she was the best.

 

Yes, Jim Cherry was the Superintendent, and the school was named for him. They changed the name a few years ago. Now it's Montgomery Elementary.

So we were neighbors--cool!

 

My first day of kindergarten: I had Mrs. Francis Cabrera as my teacher. When she asked if anyone knew what was on the board, I raised my hand. When she called on me I stood (we were sitting on the floor) and read it to her. My mom had already taught me to read and I read the newspaper for practice at the time. I also made friends with the first black boy I had ever met; his name was Adrian.

 

I remember----Greenbriar Elementary, Baton Rouge, LA

I had Mrs. Fussell

Fridays were "Coca-Cola" day-----if you wanted a coke you brought your nickle and gave it to Mrs. Fussell----I was in the First Grade then but knew how to hang on to that nickle till the Principle came in with the wheeled cart of iced down coke in real, returnable glass bottles!!!!!

I wrote to Mrs. Fussell not long ago---told her what I was doing now and thanked her for her time spent in that airconditionless classroom---she still remembered me from 1965---she's retired now and doing well!!

 

Really? That's awesome. The only Coke we had was what we brought from home, wrapped in tin foil, and drank warm at lunchtime.

Later on, when I got into high school, our shop teacher would go and get us Cokes from the teachers' lounge for us.

 

For me I think it was about the 9th grade. :laugh: I bet if you asked my teachers they would agree.

 

I remember it was 1980 and my mom had bought me a new "Tupperware" lunchbox. It had 4 plastic dishes that just fit inside it.

I remember our class had a fish tank and we each brought a fish for it. My fishie was naughty and killed the other kids' fishies. . .talk about traumatic for bunch of 5-year olds! I still have dreams about fish to this day!

 

I bought the school lunch. I think it was a quarter in 1st grade, perhaps even less.

 

We didn't have school lunches in Kindergarten, but we could buy milk for a quarter. To hear my kids tell it, nobody had school lunch way back then. They think we caught rabbits during recess and grilled them over an outdoor fire for lunch.

 

I bought school lunch, too. I think it was 35 cents for the whole lunch. We were served on plastic trays, with real glasses of milk. That was before the days of those little paper milk cartons. And we all loved the homemade yeast rolls. I remember sitting in class and smelling those yeast rolls baking...wow--this thread is really bringing back some memories!

 

We had paper milk cartons----when we had cornbread for lunch---I'd take my milk carton and open the top all the way on both sides ----- then crumble my cornbread into the carton of milk----cornbread & milk---"Cajun Ice Cream!!"

We'd also watch the Janitor mow the grass----and then for lunch go to the cafeteria and they'd be serving "Greens!!!"---coincedental, I imagine!!

Lunch money for the week was $1.50-----I'd always get my money's worth on Shrimp Creole day, Fish Stick day, Meat Loaf day, Red Beans/Rice/Sausage day----they'd even let us go back for 2nd's!!!