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Upcoming First Reunion

My first elementary school is having a reunion in a couple of weeks.  They managed to track me down, and I responded to the organizer that I would attend.  I haven't been to any reunions before (probably due to weight issues...who knows) and though I'm a little nervous about attending, I'm looking forward to it.  It's been almost forty years since I've seen these folks, and my memory of some of my classmates is sketchy.  When I talked to the woman (a former classmate) organizing it the other night to RSVP, she remembered who I was (was I that memorable??).  Unfortunately, I don't seem to have a recollection of her.

My Bender years are sketchy in some regard, while crystal clear in others.  I remember each of my teachers (sans the gym teacher), so at least there will be something to talk about.  My career at Bender was fairly short-lived; it was only three years (1st - 3rd grade), and was brought to a screeching halt at the conclusion of that year.  The powers-that-be deemed that they "couldn't do anything for me" there (I was a rather unfocused child) and thought I'd be better off in a school where the classes were much smaller.

Here are some fun-filled fact-oids from the three-year experience:

  • I had a nun (this was a Catholic school) only one year, for first grade.  It was a scarring experience.
  • I was sent to the corner one afternoon in the first grade.  Our classroom was basement level, and a driveway ran alongside the windows where one could look down into our room.  During this unfortunate afternoon, my mother walked along the driveway and peered in the windows, discovering me in the corner.  It was not a pleasant ride home.
  • During the second grade, we had a young woman who took over our class mid-year.  She turned out to be a brute.  She kept me after school, and spanked me on two occasions.  I have no recollection of what I did to earn them.  The first time, she used her hand.  The second, she used a box of flash cards.  Bitch.
  • The second grade teacher also kept a large bar of Ivory soap and a can of black pepper in response to some unruly children's inappropriate language.  The threat alone seemed to work, as those items were never employed for the remainder of the school year.
  • One time Sister Ann Patricia (first grade) pinned a note on my shirt.  It must have been spring, because I had worn a jacket to school that day, and it had warmed up considerably by afternoon, that my mom suggested I take my jacket off, which I stupidly did.  She saw the note; it put a damper on the rest of the day.
  • Multiplication tables were a huge challenge for me in the third grade.  The teacher sent notes home on a fairly regular basis.
That's about the best I can recall at this point.  I wonder if any of my classmates who show up at this reunion remember any more gems...


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