Random Memories from my (public) Grade School Days

(some of which are quite different from today's schools!)

1. Preschool was almost unheard of, at least in my area.  The closest thing were "mom's day out" programs which lasted a couple of hours.  One I remember hearing about was designed for high school students to care for the children as part of their home ec education (I think).  The program had been cancelled by the time I was in high school.

2. Kindergarten was half day only, with separate morning and afternoon classes (and a lunch break for the teachers in between).  It met in a completely separate building from the actual Elementary School.  There was no Kindergarten "graduation" to my knowledge, but when I was K age, the teachers were on strike and it was cancelled for the entire year.... so I never went anyway.

3. Kids learned to read in 1st grade.  Those who could already read were simply given more challenging material or books, but it was not at all expected that kids knew more than letter recognition before they started.

4. Recess was twice per day through at least 2nd or 3rd grade.  (I honestly don't recall when that ended.)  We had a recess break of 15-20 minutes in the morning, then another half hour break immediately after lunch.  It is possible that some kids were kept in for recess on occasion, but if so I don't remember that.  What I remember is everyone going outside.

5. Speaking of outside, my school had its own "nature trail" in the woods behind the school.  There was a clearing at more-or-less the halfway point with benches.  We went on the trail with our class for science lessons every once in awhile, and sometimes for fun times too.

6.  We had a snack break every morning in 1st grade (and I believe maybe 2nd?), which was in the cafeteria with those little cartons of milk available for every student.  I don't remember having any kind of snack break in 3rd grade and up, though it's possible I just don't remember.

7. School met from 8:30 (or possibly 8:20?) until 3:00, for all grades all the way through high school.

8. All of the teachers and the principal had wooden paddles, and yes, they used them when they felt it was appropriate.  The vast majority of us thought nothing of it, other than the deep desire to NOT get in trouble and actually be paddled.  I believe that stopped when I was in 5th or 6th grade.  Most teachers used their paddles very rarely, and a few didn't use them at all, but they all displayed them so we knew it was an option.  Standing in the corner was probably the most common punishment.

9. We had "hunter safety" (which of course included gun safety) training in 5th or 6th grade for ALL students.  I seem to remember shooting rifles at targets also, as part of this.


10. All students 1st through 12th rode the same bus (unless of course they drove or got rides).  Most of the teens were kind to the elementary students, and would help them if they were scared or hurt.

11. Day care was unheard of, though there were after-school clubs and programs.  Some kids also would get off the bus at different stops, or ride a different bus in the afternoon in order to reach a Grandma or other caregiver's home. 

12. Probably 90-95% of us had full time "stay home" moms at home, yet it was pretty rare to see a mom at the school (unless she worked there, of course).  We didn't have such things as "class mom" or a group of volunteers coming in every day.  Most parent volunteers only came for special events or after school things.

13. Speaking of special events, holidays were kind of a big deal, and we celebrated most of them.  Elementary students not only dressed up for Halloween, but we had a parade up and down the main street of the little town, and the townspeople would come out to cheer for us.  Valentine's Day always was a party, but giving out valentines was optional (and yes, it was actually pretty hard on those who didn't get very many--no mandatory giving to everyone in the class back then).  We also celebrated May Day in the spring, complete with Maypole dancing outside.

14. My elementary school went all the way through 6th grade, though granted my class was the very last one to experience this.  The first Middle School (5th through 8th) was established there when I was in 7th grade.

15. We had horrible ugly uniforms we were required to wear for Gym Class (today called P.E.) in 7th and 8th grade.  Thankfully those went away in high school, and we got to go cross-country skiing in the winter instead (so our uniforms were parkas and ski pants then!).

16. My high school was in the middle of farm country, and there was literally nothing but fields, cows, and a few houses for miles around.  We didn't have special days where Seniors could go out for lunch, because there was nowhere to go!  I don't remember how long lunch was, but I do remember it was pretty relaxed, and we had plenty of time to talk... probably half an hour? It was longer in middle school, because we were permitted to go outside when we were done eating--essentially a recess break, though most of us just sat around talking with our friends.

17.  My high school had Selectric typewriters, with the letter balls (anyone else remember those?), and a couple of older ones with the slide bar you had to push back after every line. The school got ONE computer my senior year, and only the Calculus students were allowed to use it!  It was kept locked up in a closet of one of the math rooms.  I didn't learn to use any sort of word processor until after high school, at a special 4-5 month secretary training program that same year I graduated (1983)--and even there it was free-standing word processing machines which did nothing else.  My four years of typing in high school were all about typing speed and accuracy.  I also learned shorthand in high school, which I've forgotten all except the curve that meant "the" LOL. My first job out of high school (which I did part time during my secretary training class), I had a boss who would dictate onto mini-cassettes, and then I would type directly from the dictation (with only occasional stops and backing up, if I didn't quite understand what he said).  My highest typing speed was 98 words per minute.