Day 1015
Ranger and I were at my "alma mater" this morning to listen to young readers. Not only was it a joy...but also a walk down 'Memory Lane!' Spending kindergarten through 6th grade years in that building, today's visit brought back so many memories!
The main hallway and stairways of the Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts has remained somewhat the same. The office has been remodeled and there are a few doors to new hallways/wings, but it was easy for me to revisit the time in my life when I was young, shorter and full of wonder. I even told my escort as we walked down the marble stairs, "If this stairwell could talk...!"
My teachers were typical of the 1960's with one beautiful exception. My fifth grade teacher rolled up the sleeve of her dress on the first day of school, made a rather impressive muscle and told us to not mess with her! We didn't! My 4th grade teacher threw a book across the room when we giggled at her attempts to do a music lesson. No more music in that classroom for the entire year! My 6th grade teacher cut big paper hearts in half in unique patterns and we had to match the halves up to see who we would "party with" for Valentine's Day! We soon discovered that it was a girl/boy partnership! We had to share a desk! Yikes! The same teacher also wielded a bamboo stick to spank kids if they misbehaved! Some educational practices will not be missed, but the memories are scorched into my brain!
The one teacher who was the beautiful exception was Miss Moen. Looking more like Barbie than the actual doll, this wonderful educator was far beyond her time! I believe we had somewhere around 37 children in the class, but we had been grouped as "successful students" without behavior issues. Still...37! She would pass out worksheets (we would sniff the ditto fluid as we passed the papers over our heads!) and soon discovered that by the time the last child put their name at the top of the sheet, the first row was already done! She quickly decided to leave the worksheets behind and invited us to jump into a creative world of art, music, live animals, government opportunities and science galore. Little did she know that her educational creations would revisit the same space years later. Being a 'School for the Arts,' the entire staff is presently following in Miss Moen's incredible footsteps!
Ranger and I now have a "paw" in the door, so we will be back to read with other students. I hope they realize how fortunate they are to be the recipients of a beautiful educational experience. Somehow, even in 2nd grade, we all knew Miss Moen was creating something magical! Thank you to one amazing teacher!
