We were merciless on those teachers until the last day.
The schools were really small compared to schools now, but already a couple of
moblie classrooms had been installed.
For some reason, the mobile classrooms were considered exciting. There were no connections with the school. There was no PA system and no one could contact us. Those poor teachers.
Summer was coming and there was no air conditioning in the mobiles.
Summer was such an alluring prospect that it was impossible to sit still in those stuffy classes. In those days, you could walk up and down the hall without a pass. The "baby boomers" were in elementary school at the time or Junior High at most. And there was a lot less crime. One thing happened and it was in the papers for weeks. I remember Richard Speck killing all of those nurses at Cook County hospital. It was the big story every single night and my parents were scared. Then President Kennedy died.
I remember that day, although I was only six. My teacher, Mrs, Rich, was called to the office, which had never happened. All of the teachers were called.
Anyway, after that, after my teacher was called to the office the teacher assistant said we could play anything we wanted. so we played blocks and dress up as legos for a while until Mrs. Rich returned. Then everyone went silent. It looked as if she has been crying. And she had a funny look on her face.
After a moment, she said quietly, that the President of the United States was shot and he was in the hospital. It was very serious. The doctors had to do surgery. It was bad. He was having an operation right that minute. Everyone had to go home. In those days, people's mom's did not work. So me and Nancy Kaplan and a couple other kids walked home. We talked about how the president might die. Everyone's Mom and Dad loved President Kennedy. He was the best president ever known. We knew it was real serious as nobody had ever died, except for people's grandparents, and Shari Beecher, whose Father had died. Presidents never die.
When I got home, I could see mom had been crying too. She was holding my little brother. The TV was on and they were all talking about President Kennedy. They showed people crying so I started crying. Mom sent the maid home early too, but, she explained to dad, she had paid her for the whole day.The maid, Ruth, had five children at home. My Dad had come home from work early. President Kennedy loved and protected America, and even Israel and Jews. My Dad had said he was the first one like that. He liked Jews and Black people. And his wife was real pretty, more than Mrs Rich.
I saw Lee Harvey Oswald get shot and more, and we saw the whole funeral, which was boring, except for John-John, who was brave like his Dad.
School ws almost done. When it started again we had recess twice a day and no nap time. Recess was my favorite class. We were too wound up to be still those last days, and I don't think that the teacher much cared. When she passed out those report cards, everyone cheered and we walked home for the last time.
Summer was, hands down, the best part of the whole year. We got to go to 'day camp" which was in the mornings, and you got to play great games with lots of kids and have a snack and go home. You got Archery and games like duck duck goose, and red light green light and sometimes Nancy Kaplan and I would hide in the bushes. It took a while for anyone to find us. We knew we were not supposed to do that, and the counselors were mad and said next time they would call our parents. But we knew that they wouldn't.
When Dad had a good weather weekend, he sometimes would wake us up early to go to 'Triangle Lake" This was a great fishing lake, which was actually located in the cloverleaf of the expressway. Instead of beautifying this, the city left it, and it had many fish and people would fish there.
First, my brother and I had to dig for worms in the early morning, and we got a lot, the bucket of mud was covered and off we went.The lake already had a couple of people there, so dad walked around until he found the Perfect Spot. It had to be where he could see some fish, and wasn't too close to the others.
Dad would always point out the Mallards and Coots and Sandpipers, and always a Blue Heron. The blue Herons and Redwing Blackbirds hid in the cattails, so my brother and I always scared them off, to get cattails, and make wishes off of them Then we would bring them home to mom. She always pretended to like them. My little brother wanted to help put the worms on the hooks. Sometimes Dad would let him and say "Don't tell mom" My brother was real careful and sometimes he broke them but usually we got it on.
It was fun to throw the lines the way dad showed us and watch the bobbin' to see if a fish was trying to bite. It was always a little bass.which Dad would throw in the ice to "go to sleep". Sometimes Dad would get a good trout. He would knock them out with this little bat he kept in his fishing box. some bass they were so little that he threw them back and said it was wrong to eat babies.
Later, when we got home, mom would bread everything, even the little ones and fry them up. dad got the trout. He had cleaned it at the lake and we knew how gross the stuff was inside. Sometimes fish eggs would come out. I had to be tough then.
Anyway, all that was in the bass was bones. there was very little meat. My brother and I didn't eat much and we left to play ball for about five minutes and came in to take naps. That was it for that day, as we had already thanked dad, as mom had instructed.
Re: Childhood-Spring and summer (Score: 1) by omegapaf on Sunday, September 13, 2009 (22:18:33)
i love the way this is written from a six year old you's point of view. where the deaths of presidents, and the digging of wiggly worms have equal importance. reminded me of catching crabs from the end of the pier when i was six. i'd tie a rope to an old boot, fill it with fish heads, then throw it off the dock.tie it to the lighthouse railings, then come back the next day, haul the boot up quick, and 5 times out of ten there was a big crab in it.....maybe that's why fishermen catch old boots ha ha. could have actually been longer gail. i was just getting interested in what happened to mrs rich, and nancy kaplan - hey do you get the feeling i like it? a little bass - paul.
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Added on: 13-Sep-2009 | Hits: 525 |
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