While in Denver, I attended the local elementary school, about a mile from home. I rode my fat-tired, red, Huffy Christmas bicycle each day with my books in saddle baskets bolted to the back.
The school required that we lock our bikes, so before the first day, Papa and I shopped the local "Five & Dime" for my first combination lock (that's the Five & Dime where we once left the youngest member of our family later--we just forgot her--when we returned we found her standing in the toy aisle studying a "Betsy Wetsy" without the slightest hint of concern).
I liked school, but recall my second grade teacher was "mean." I don't recall anything specific, just that she was "mean." By contrast, my third grade teacher, Ms. Henderson was my favorite ever. She was very old, and I recall lines and lines of wrinkles on her face and braided white hair. Our class was classified as "accelerated," or something like that, so in addition to the normal work, we got to do extra fun things. I specifically remember we studied Native American Indians and made costumes (including hand-painted khaki shirts with shredded sleeves and the class favorite, a Mohawk hair piece made from a woman's stocking), and a full-sized Teepee made out of paper mache. We danced around the Teepee wildly, waiving our arms and singing words that were meaningless to me then, but were supposed to be a harvest song.
The school required that we lock our bikes, so before the first day, Papa and I shopped the local "Five & Dime" for my first combination lock (that's the Five & Dime where we once left the youngest member of our family later--we just forgot her--when we returned we found her standing in the toy aisle studying a "Betsy Wetsy" without the slightest hint of concern).
I liked school, but recall my second grade teacher was "mean." I don't recall anything specific, just that she was "mean." By contrast, my third grade teacher, Ms. Henderson was my favorite ever. She was very old, and I recall lines and lines of wrinkles on her face and braided white hair. Our class was classified as "accelerated," or something like that, so in addition to the normal work, we got to do extra fun things. I specifically remember we studied Native American Indians and made costumes (including hand-painted khaki shirts with shredded sleeves and the class favorite, a Mohawk hair piece made from a woman's stocking), and a full-sized Teepee made out of paper mache. We danced around the Teepee wildly, waiving our arms and singing words that were meaningless to me then, but were supposed to be a harvest song.
©2006 David R. Childress. All Rights Reserved
1 comment:
I remember very little of the Denver years. I went to kindergarten there in the fall of 61(I think) but I can't remember it at all. I do remember riding my trike which had some nameplate on the front. I remember pretending it said First National Bank. Maybe that's where we banked? And I remember Pepper. I remember leaving Nancy in the dime store, and being in the car. Where's Nancy? She's not back there with you? She's not up here with us. I remember Mom being frantic. But I thought we found her looking at the Lifesavers. As I recall, she never even missed us.
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