Today, I went rooting through the closet to look for some old check stubs (please don't ask why), and I came across some notes I saved from my mother back when I was in grade school. I look at these notes once a year or so, and it always brings back good memories.
It's interesting that when you talk to someone, they will mention that high school years were the best years of their lives, and they never give primary school a mention. I am the exact opposite. My high school years were terrible, both with grades and with peer relationships. Even as I was ready to graduate as a senior, I still wished for the less-complicated environment of Grades 1-8. Childish as it was thought of in 1989, as it may be in 2006, those memories still stand out and I am still thankful to the staff that worked there at the time.
The best part of my time there had to be Grades 1-3, plus Grade 6. The sixth grade was my time to shine in academic achievement, as I made honor roll all four quarters of the year. But Grades 1-3 were great from a people standpoint, and it wasn't because of the peers my age: it was the teachers, who I still marvel at 20+ years later for allowing me to glimpse into their working lives, allowing me to take a break from the everyday student routine.
Though I didn't get into film/video production until college in 1994, I became good friends with Mr. Fleming, the A/V head, back in 1978. There was always something about film that mesmerized me; whether it was viewing the films or just watching the projector project them. Teachers would note that I would pay attention to the physics of the operation more than the film itself, and were kind enough not to ostricize me. In fact, Mr. Fleming gave me a used reel of projection film & instructed me to create something with it. I tried to draw the proper way to make letters of the alphabet, but being in second grade, the film showed all 26 letters in the span of 15 seconds!
School worksheets at the time were done on ditto machines, before the advent of Xerox copiers. I was set on learning to become a teacher, and they spotted this as well. Whenever they went to run copies of a worksheet, they let me come with them, feed the paper into the machine, and operate it myself. This was so thrilling; I couldn't begin to explain it then, or now. Would teachers today even dare venture to let the kids do the work for them? I felt very fortunate indeed.
The teachers obviously thought I had a good shot at learning their craft, for they recommended a teacher's supply place that sold all the workbooks and planning books they used. When they replaced their reading class material, I'd be given all their old teacher's manuals. I bought a ditto machine from the principal, who thought it might be a good experience for me to learn how to pay for something in installments.
They let me play the Mr. MacGregor character in a stage play of "Peter Rabbit" (I have a photo of that one somewhere) and as Scrooge for our portrayal of "A Christmas Carol". Years later, I can still reap the benefits of those opportunities. The teachers were really a good group.
That's what made the following years so much tougher. The next grade up involves adjustments for everyone, but for me it was extremely difficult not having carte blanche to the behind-the-scenes experiences I had before. Teachers lacked patience & time, the peer teasing got worse, the work got harder, and many new people in high school made it uncomfortable for me.
But for three or four years at least, the perks of school balanced perfectly with the perks of home. Tuition money well spent, in my opinion. And I still thank those people today.
