first grade (lyn)

I have always been an educational snob.  

My sisters were happy to go to good state universities (in exchange for a car).  I passed on the car and went to a private university instead.  Who knows if it were really better.  But we all started out in the same place.

My sisters and I began first grade at The Forest Avenue School, affectionately known as The Little Red School House.  It still exists, but is now a museum.  Built in 1875, it closed in 1963, four years after I completed second grade.  This school is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, along with Grand Central Terminal and Bunker Hill Monument.

The two-room schoolhouse was an easy walk from my home.  The neighborhood kids would all gather and together we would travel the short distance to the school.  It was a 15-minute walk, though it did involve cutting through a small woods and crossing a busy street.

When the bell rang, first graders would line up at the right door, and head for Miss Stevenson’s classroom on the first floor.  Second graders would stand in front of the left door, and go up the stairs to Mrs. Lucia's room.  There were about 35 of us in each class.

This was before Ms. was a title.  Before overcrowding in classrooms was a thought.  And before parents worried about six and seven-year olds walking through woods alone. 

At noon, we would be dismissed for lunch.  There was no cafeteria in this two-room school.  We would all walk home, have lunch, and return until three.

I remember in first grade frequently being in Miss Stevenson’s chatterbox, which she drew on her blackboard.  You were allowed one warning.  A check mark next to your name meant staying after school for five minutes.  I frequently stayed after school.  There were others who got multiple check marks and stayed longer.  

The most memorable things about second grade were Mrs. Lucia’s bra strap that was always showing, her collection of hummel figurines, and the departure one day of Johnnie G who was returned to first grade in mid-year (and later became co-head of one of the largest privately held companies in the US).

Strange the things we remember.

May 1959, with Valerie in front of our house;
I'm in second grade; Val's in Kindergarten