Today is the first day of school for students and teachers in 757. Thinking about the first day of school made me go down memory lane. The following is a bulleted list made up of one sentence from every year that I was in school.
- Kindergarten – I lived in Germany and when I graduated I got a rad diploma with Yoda on it.
- First Grade – My teacher was Mrs. Strong and I went a whole semester without missing a single spelling word.
- Second Grade – A girl in my class ate peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches…gag nasty!
- Third Grade – I broke my arm at field day when I fell backwards during the backwards race.
- Fourth Grade – I got in a fight with a kid name Noah.
- Fifth Grade – I ran away from school because a lunch lady grabbed my arm and accused me of doing something I didn’t do.
- Sixth Grade – This was my first year at a Christian School.
- Seventh Grade – Through the conviction of the
Holy SpiritChristian School I threw away my entire library of secular music on tape; including Bobby Brown, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and Michael Jackson. - Eighth Grade – I got cut from the JJV (junior junior varsity) basketball team and because of that ended up playing in a church league for Liberty Baptist Church.
- Ninth Grade – I showed up late to class one day and when I walked in Jennifer Ferris said, “Rob would make a great class President.” Next thing I know I was class president.
- Tenth Grade – I got a D in Science and had to take summer school.
- Bonus: Tenth grade was also the first time I heard a girl tell a guy that God wanted her to break up with him. Oh the joys of going to a Christian school. I mean you can blame a break-up on God and the guy can’t argue with you.
- Eleventh Grade – I home schooled this year and watched Days of Our Lives with my sister at lunch time.
- Twelfth Grade – I returned to a Christian school, made the principal’s list for my grades, got three senior superlatives, and was on the homecoming court.
Today I’m praying for my wife, sister in law, friends, and students from WEC as they start their first day of school. Here’s to making memories.
What is one memory that you have from school?
A memory I have from school as a teacher: On my very first day of teaching (4th grade) two years ago, it rained. I thought I was quite clever because I had amassed a huge collection of board games for just such occasions. Indoor recess began and kids picked their board games and found spots in the room to spread out and play. I had quite a few ESL students (English as a Second Language) and I saw three of them sitting together with my Jenga game. Granted, I hadn’t opened the game because I got it from the thrift store and figured..it’s Jenga, why bother. Well, about 15 minutes into recess, I heard one of the students playing Jenga say “Blow on someone’s ear next to you”… This alerted my attention, so I looked up and started watching them. The boy next to her then said “give the person across from you a raspberry” and it suddenly occurred to me… Jenga doesn’t have words. Why are they saying such things. Why do they look embarrassed. Omg. What is going on. I walked over to their table and only then did it dawn on me that I had accidentally bought the ADULT version of Jenga, with adult suggestions on every block. I still thank God to this day that it was the ESL kids that played the game, because I was able to easily convince them that the game needed to be put away, and no one ever needed to know that they had played it. Hahahaha. Moral of the Story: I open and investigate ALL board games in my classroom now!
Love this story Danielle.
That’s ha-larious! Thanks for sharing that today!
I am laughing at Danielle’s story. Funny times!
First: first day of school? Really? our kids have been going for what seems eons (but is really only 2 weeks). Second, gag on the pb & mayo sandwich. Anything with mayo…period. Third, I would throw away that music as well but not for the reason they told you. 🙂 Fourth, Days of Our Lives? You gotta be kidding me. Fifth, No summer school but I barely passed Trig, Chemistry & Spanish 3. Sixth, glad you made it out of school. One memory? Barely making it out alive!
Bill, I know about the Days of Our Lives. I’m not proud. My sister came home during lunch time and I liked to watch TV while I ate. I also would do anything to stall from doing work.
I agree with Bill about Days of Our Lives.
Everyone knows that As the World Turns was much better.
I can’t speak for the Official School District of robshep.com, but a little while ago the state of Michigan passed a law requiring public schools to start after Labor Day. The intention, I think, was to encourage tourism over the holiday weekend.
Yeah, I too was thinking about the students and teachers the last few days. Praying for them and lifting them up. As for me, I am far too old to remember anything about my years in school. I vaguely remember a one room schoolhouse and that we had to hunt buffalo at snack time with a local indian tribe.
That was really funny. Hunt buffalo…quality joke.
On my first day of 8th grade, I was in a brand new school because this was the first day the Grafton middle school/high school complex was open. They still hadn’t gotten the AC to work and it was hot as mess in there, plus, they had packed about 30-35 kids in my classroom because schedules weren’t finalized yet. The heat or the crowding got to me and I threw up in front on 30-35 people and was sent home. I was so embarrassed but luckily, a week later, I was moved to another team where no one knew that I was the Throw Up Girl and I lived happily ever after. The End.
Thanks for your post, Rob! It was fun to learn more about you. Praying for all the students, teachers and parents today too! Especially Abbie Phinney who is starting kindergarten today!
Alicia,
Poor thing. I’m glad you got moved and that no one remembered you as the throw up girl.
I actually spent 7 years of my education in a one room country school, grades 1-8. One teacher taught every subject for all 8 grades, raised the U.S.flag on the flag pole, filled the water crock, put coal in the furnace,supervised lunch and recess, swept the floor before leaving for the day and brought in the flag.
There were no Indians or buffalo–just sheep grazing nearby.
I can’t imagine teachers trying to do all of that now. Whew. I’m tired just reading it.
First:
Mrs. Strong? Really?! I must be related to her somehow.
More seriously:
Today is the first day of school here, too, but this incident on Friday has made the event a bit more sober:
http://heritage.com/articles/2011/09/06/chelsea_standard/news/doc4e60fd0e3389a625307223.txt
Burrill, I’m sorry to hear that. That is awful.
Yeah, it wasn’t a great start to September here. The good news is that while he’s still critical, he’s also stable.
My first wedgie was in 5th grade. I never forgot the experience. It’s really wedged up in my brain!
Moe, that’s rough. Thankfully I never got one of those. Or a swirly.
Oh Wow. Love your memories – and especially the Holy Spirit – um – the Christian School – convicting you of your good music. I’m sorry – but it would have to be God Himself telling me that before I would get rid of ANY of my music past or present. Michael Jackson? For realz??? Okay – then I LOVE how “spiritual” people pull the “God Card” and use Him from break-ups to bad behaviour and on and on. I’ve seen the Devil used in a similar way. In Bible College – one of my cool professor’s said that the convenient thing to do – is blame the Devil for everything. He said that there was a meeting that Satan had with his advisors asking how things were going – and they all reported really awful and nasty things to him. He was proud of all of the terrible acts and crimes – but what he didn’t understand was this: “Why is everyone blaming ME for things I haven’t even done!” Yeah -yeah – it was his crazy twisted sense of humor – but it brought people down a peg that were TOO spiritual for Bible School. I have many memories of school – some good – most of them not so good. Maybe some day in a blog.
I look forward to reading that post.
I remember it like it was 1984, I was a young lad, Soviet Union suffers worst wheat harvest in 55 years… Labor and food riots in Poland. Soviet troops invade… Cuba and Nicaragua reach troop strength goals of 500,000. El Salvador and Honduras fall… Greens Party gains control of West German Parliament. Demands withdrawal of nuclear weapons from European soil… Mexico plunged into revolution… NATO dissolves. United States stands alone.
Interesting memory.
I remember sticking up for my younger brother on the playground.
The bully and I scuffled, and I was getting the worst of it.
Then he went flying through the air, howling in pain.
Turns out the tiny quiet girl I had befriended was a genuine black belt in something I can’t pronounce. She didn’t even get in trouble, because by the time the teachers got there, she had put her innocent face back on and nobody suspected her.
Weird but true twist – she’s a nun now. Seriously.
Amazing! That’s a great story.
Things that happened on the band bus staying on the band bus.
You were in band?
The last day of elementary school we always had field day. My sixth grade year and last field day I got in trouble and couldn’t participate in any games, had to sit in the principals office all day, this included tug of war; I was the secret weapon. I also got suspended 5 times from elementary school. I’m actually crying now. Sad
Ryan, that is sad. I’m glad you’ve grown up.
The only ‘F’ I ever made was on a math test in 3rd grade. In high school I competed in math competitions for my school (they do exist), won trophies, and was the President of the Math Club. I don’t take bad grades very well. 🙂
Wow. I’m impressed. I hate math.
I wasn’t the most popular Dustin in elementary school. That belonged to Dustin Diamond. 🙂