When you were young.....

Pappy

Pappy

Living the Dream
Location
Moved back to NY from Florida. 🤓 2025
how did you feel about the first day back to school?

I don't think I would have admitted it but I kinda looked forward to it. I never really did like school but it was good to see friends you hadn't seen all summer.

I remember how the school smelled of Polish and wax and cleaning materials. We had ward schools back then so I went to several different schools in our town. One nice thing is that I usually got new clothes and a new pair of shoes which had to last me all year.

I remember we could ride our bikes to school and not worry about them being stolen. We seemed to have our little groups and got together to walk to school. Recess was spent playing marbles or just running around having fun. Most schools had swing sets to play on or we would sometimes play mumble-depeg with our jack knives.

These are a few of the things I recall. How about yours?
 

Going back to school, as in..........elementary, junior high (7/8) or high school? I don't even want to think about my elementary or junior high years b/c of whom I was living with (Aunt and her adopted daughter). Didn't do very good those years. Real parents spit up when I was 5 and I was sent to live with the Aunt. In the summer before entering 8th grade, was sent to live with distance cousins (husband/wife) which was pretty neat. Much better than living with the Aunt! Did I look forward to going back to high school each year........yes! Got me away from the smell of hogs all day (LOL). I didn't have to "physically" work so darn hard!
 
I loved the excitement of the first day of school. My hometown wasn't very big, but there were four elementary schools and one high school. In elementary school days after kindergarten or first grade, we all knew each other because we were from the same neighborhood. It was rare for there to be anybody new in the neighborhood, and as a matter of fact, I think I was the only new one mid-first grade when we moved back Stateside after the war.

It wasn't really about actually going back to the day-in/day-out of classes; it was fun to get something new to wear the first day, get new books and to hope for the teacher we wanted.
 

I had a lot of problems at school..I was born in a caravan..(gypsy) if you like..

Now my Father was a professional boxer...as were most of my brothers..being the only girl..pulling hair and handbagging someone was not an option...I could box..

First day at school consisted of..''Well..we are welcoming Rosie..Rosie tell us about your life as a Gypsy..did you ever eat hedgehogs?'''

That first day I could feel the animosity..until about 3.30..when someone came to me and said..''We don't like gyppo's here..there will be a fight outside against '''June''

I was 11..June was 16..with a huge bouffant..

So I went out..June was waiting...and at the time my father promised he would pick me up in his car..

I saw his car the other side of the road, but first June started to attack me..I slapped her face..she slapped mine..she slapped me again..

I could see my father languidly smoking a cigarette..watching us..

so after a few slaps..I gave her a right uppercut...followed by another..she burst into tears..I had won..

I walked back to my father's car and got in..

''That was disgraceful'' he said..

''What was wrong with your left hook?'':lofl:
 
Twixie, what WAS wrong with your left hook? And did June ever bother you again? I bet not!

As I mentioned before, we had four elementary schools and one high school. By the time we finished 8th grade, we'd met a lot of the kids from the other schools through sports or scout camps or church, but there were still boys we were sure we needed to know! By the time we were in 9th grade, that first day was all about seeing who was wearing what so that we'd know what to add to our clothes collection (it couldn't be called a wardrobe!) to be as trendy as the cool girls.

Um...I wasn't a scholar;)
 
I disliked my primary school as I was bullied, as my family was much better off than those of my peers. I wasn't bullied at my secondary school, but didn't like that much either.
 
GeorgiaXplant said:
Twixie, what WAS wrong with your left hook? And did June ever bother you again? I bet not!


Um...I wasn't a scholar;)
Click to expand...

Nothing was wrong with my left hook..I was shaking like a rabbit...No June never bothered me again, actually after that incident my nickname was ''Cassius'''

All I wanted to know really were the lessons..I licked them up..I wanted them to teach me everything they could..yes including logarithms..anti-logarithms..Latin..and Scottish folk dancing..Non have these have been any help in my life..but it was always good to know..;)
 
We went to elementary schools until 7th grade where we move up to the big school. It was called Junior high school and was on the first floor. The the BIG move up to second floor and high school in our 9th year.

My trouble started in high school. I loved drumming in the band and workshops in the basement but could not get along with several teachers. I skipped school so many times, the principle made me stay out until I brought my parents in for a talk. No way was this going to happen, so I left in 11th grade and went to work for a short time and entered the Army where I finished my education.
 
Pappy said:
When you were young ... how did you feel about the first day back to school?
Click to expand...

(apologies to Paul McCartney)

When I was young and I looked into an open book
I used to say live and let live
(You know I did, you know I did, you know I did)
But if the first day of schooling made its appearance
I would give in and cry ...

Say why oh why
Why oh why
Why oh why
Why oh why

What does it matter to ya
When you got a class to do
You gotta do it well
You gotta finish up your test before the bell


...
 
I loved school! From the first, my father let me know that all I would need to know, I would get buy the end of the fifth grade. So the books became my favorite thing about starting each new year. It was like getting season tickets to wonderful events.:magnify:
 
I enjoyed going to school. In elementary school, the first day was always a good time because I got to see the kids that I hadn't seen all summer. In class, we just passed out the books we'd be studying for that year and also covering them with book covers. I don't think we ever got any homework the first few days in elementary school. When I got to junior high, it was a bit different. No recess, instead we had gym class, but not every day. You were expected to act different, more grown-up, I guess they called it maturing. We were given more homework because each class had a different teacher for each subject. In senior high, I had the most fun. Ninth grade was great. We started hanging around the older kids and learning things (not all good) from them. In my Sophomore and Junior years, I went to military school in Pennsylvania. Forget what you heard about military school. I had a great time and should have stayed there. If I would have went through twelfth grade there, I could have stayed and also gone through college at the same military school. It was a combination of first through twelfth and then four years of college. Big mistake leaving. My friends wanted me to come back to public school, so we could all graduate together.

The two years that I spent in military school really changed my life and also gave me an advantage in the Marines. I was treated different than the other guys at boot camp, not better, just different. I was expected to help other men to learn different things like; polishing their shoes and cleaning their rifles. Also, I had to help some guys learn their 11 general orders. They had to be memorized. I also helped some learn the military language and how to tell military time. All in all it was very rewarding and gave us a sense of accomplishment on graduation day. Once we left the Island and was sent to Lejeune, the serious part started. Back in the day, the Marines weren't as selective as they are now. We had high school dropouts in our platoon in boot camp. We had three or four guys wash out while in boot. The one dude should never have been there. I think his recruiter needed a body to make his quota and that's how he got in. This guy couldn't even tie his boot laces and that's no joke.

The two best times in my life was graduating high school and boot camp. Man, I felt like I was really something. Then came Vietnam and you realized that you were just another body on the battlefield trying to survive. You do whatever you got to just to stay alive. I know some of you men and maybe ladies on this forum, may know what I am talking about. When they say, "War is Hell," they ain't whistling Dixie.
 
I loved school. I was educated at a boarding school, De La Salle Brothers College.

On another note: My 20 month old Grand daughter started kindergarten Yesterday.
4 hours one day a week to start,she is a little smarty, already says 2 & 3 word sentences,
& loves story books.
 

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