Starting School

Starting school was an exciting time. I got to ride the school bus, which picked us up down at the corner. I think that the name of our bus driver was Mr. Heath. His job was to get us all to the Bel Sherman Elementary School in Ithaca, NY. Our principal was a lady, and so were our teachers. My older brother was in third grade and did not want to put up with a younger brother tagging along. I was four years old and in the first grade. One of the girls in our room had an accident in her pants because she did not ask to go to the bathroom. That was quite something, if you are four years old. She was very embarrassed, but I do not remember any other kid having that problem again. My first grad teacher was Miss Squires. Why I can remember all of this, I do not know. For reading we had Dick and Jane. Father went to work each day, carrying his briefcase, and mother stayed home taking care of Dick, Jane, and baby Sally. It seems to me that there was a black puppy and maybe a cat too. These were great adventures as we all learned to read.

I did not think that it was unusual to be four years old and in the first grade. In later years my social immaturity caused me some problems, but not in elementary school. Later on, I asked Mom why had I gone to first grade and learned that first grade was free, but if you were in kindergarten, the family had to pay a fee of $100, and we did not have the money. What I really think is that I was driving her nuts at home, and she could not wait for me to get out of the house and begin my schooling.

At one point Mom was requested to come to school to meet with the teacher and another parent. It seems that I was kissing the daughter of this other parent in the bushes, and the teacher thought the parents should hear about this activity and take care of the problem. I do not have any memory of any discipline about the event, but when asked, Mom said she wanted to meet the parent that would allow her daughter to be kissed in the bushes.