Wednesday, August 19, 2009

So We Don't Forget~~~School Days

"Wednesday's Walk" has a new look and a new title. It is now called "So We Don't Forget". And Lynnette over at Dancing Barefoot is going to guide us through our memory walks by giving us a topic to write on each Wednesday. Today's topic is "School Days".

Click on the button above and join in on the fun.


I grew up in Southern California and I went to a wonderful little elementary school called,..."Diamond Grammar School". Since I was born in the 50's I guess they used to call it "Grammar School" back then in the....olden days!

I had a very nice principal and his name was Mr. Snell. The school office was a very old building and in the beginnings of the school I think that building was the entire school. But then they added bungalows, and then more modern buildings as the years went by.

I lived really close to the school,...just around the corner, and so all I had to do to get to school was walk through the playground and I was there. Since we were so close to the playground, my little brother and I, and the neighborhood children would play over there all the time. We would swing on the swings and go down the slides and play hopscotch and two square in the painted areas. And I loved playing on the bars and on the jungle gym too.

I also have fun memories of playing kickball and softball on the baseball diamonds with the neighborhood friends. In the summer we would get the kids together and have softball games and baseball games. I was one of the few girls in the neighborhood, so I would hold my own in a game with the boys. I loved it, and I guess back then I was a tomboy.

I went to Diamond Grammar School from Kindergarten through the 6th grade. I had so many wonderful teachers and I remember them fondly. Since I lived so close I could stay after school and help the teachers erase the chalkboards and do clean up and I got to really know the teachers well.

Some of my memories include being "Queen of the May" one time in the 5th grade. It was a city wide festival that we had on May Day, which was May 1st. There was a May pole with long ribbons connected to it and there would be music and May pole dancers who would grasp the ribbons and dance around the pole, weaving up and down and in and out until the ribbons were all woven around the pole in a colorful pattern. Each school in the district would pick a Queen and a King of the May Day, and that year my school picked me! I was so excited.

Another fun memory was our yearly school carnival where there were booths set up and each booth contained a game to play for prizes. In one booth I won a huge Teddy Bear bank. And I loved the cake walk where they would play music as you walked around the circle and when the music stopped you stood on a number and if they drew your number you won a cake to take home!

We had talent shows in the school cafeteria which also was used for meetings and gatherings and it had a stage. Two of my girlfiends and I had our coats on and we had suitcases and we sang a song called "Sentimental Journey" as we pretended we were waiting for a train. At the end of our song Mr. Snell the principal, yelled "All Aboard!", from behind the curtain and we picked up our suitcases and ran off the stage. It was fun.

One year for the talent show, we had a Hawaiian theme and our 4th grade class all dressed in moo-moo dresses and Hawaiian shirts with flower leis around our necks and we sang a Hawaiian song and did the hula. We didn't have much money in those days but somehow my wonderful mother found me a colorful moo-moo so I could join in the activity.

We had a "safety" patrol who wore little round metal badges and they monitored the playground and the bathrooms and the drinking fountains so that when the recess bell rang to signal that recess was over they made sure that kids weren't goofing off getting drinks or playing in the bathroom, or lagging behind on the playground and not forming in their lines to go back to their classrooms. I loved being a "safety" and I could write tickets to those kids who weren't obeying the rules! Sometimes my power went to my head! (smile)

One year our school taught the upper grades how to square dance, and that was fun. At the end of the year we all went on a field trip to Knott's Berry Farm and we squared danced in the outdoor Wagon Wheel theater area which was surrounded by a half circle of Covered Wagons, a front stage, and then the public seating. After we performed we got to go on the rides and then walk around the ghost town and then eat at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant, which served their famous Knott's Berry Farm Jams and Jellies with their homemade biscuits and fried chicken.

I loved the spelling bees that we always had, and I loved playing "Thumbs up~ 7 up" in our rooms at recess when we couldn't go outside because it was raining. Everyone put their heads down on their desk and their thumbs up and then the teacher would pick 7 of us to go around and flick the thumb of one person each. As we touched their thumbs they would put their thumb down so nobody else would pick them, and then the 7 pickers would go up front when they were done and the teacher would say,..."Heads up", and those 7 people that got their thumbs touched would look at the line up and try to guess who picked them. If they got it right they got to change places and become a "picker". For some reason we all loved this game. (smile)

One year our class planted a garden and then we would all take our turns weeding it, watering it, and harvesting the vegetables, and then we ate them. That is the first time I remember eating a radish, and it burned my mouth and I had to raise my hand and ask if I could go get a drink of water. I didn't like radishes after that,..but now I do.

Right across the street from our school office was a little street that had Cliff and Maudie's grocery store where you could run an account and pay by the month, and then next to that was our "Dime Store", as we called it. It was a little variety store where we could get penny and nickle candy, jacks, bubble gum with baseball cards in it, paddle balls, coloring books and crayons, sling shots, caps and cap guns,...anything a kid could want! They had 5 cent fruit flavored suckers and if you unwrapped it and there was a little white piece of paper inside on the back of the sucker, you would win another one. I loved it when that would happen. I thought it was neat that both of these stores had houses behind them where the owners lived. I always wished I could own a store someday and live behind it.

As we headed back home from the dime store we'd stop at the gas station on the corner across from Cliff and Maudie's and put our money in the pop cooler and get us an ice cold bottle of pop. We had to slide the bottle neck along the metal channel and pull it out of ice cold water after we put our money in the machine. Then you would pop off the cap in the bottle opener. These bottles could be returned for a deposit refund, so my brother and I would save them up and take a wagon full of bottles back to get some money and then we'd go spend it on junk at the dime store. We could get a whole bag full of candy for hardly any money. Which is probably why I was always having to go to the dentist!

Things were fun back then when I went to Diamond Grammar School,...and it was fun re-living those days with you today. My husband just reminded me that that was over fifty years ago, as today is my 59th birthday!!! Yikes!

20 comments:

Yvonne Blake said...

Smile..what happy memories!

Your "Thumbs-Up" game reminded me of one school I attended. We played "Punchinello" every recess. Basically, it was a chanting song. We stood in a circle. The one in the middle did an "action" of her choice. We all mimicked her, and then she chose someone else to be in the middle. It sounds silly now, but we loved it.

BTW...Happy Birthday!

Shayna @ Texas Monkey said...

Hi Linda, thank you for your words of encouragement on my blog and it's nice to "meet" you. I'm new to the blogging community so I love meeting new people.

Happy Birthday and thanks for sharing all of those wonderful memories and stories, I love hearing about how school once was, really wish we could still capture some of that in today's schools.
Shayna

Kathryn said...

Happy Birthday Linda! Hope you have a wonderful day.

What lovely memories of school. I lived in Fullerton for a couple of years, over on the west side not far from Buena Park. I've friends that have lived there many years now. Oh, i went to college in Fullerton, too, Pacific Christian College, now called Hope International University. But i think it was the 70s before the school moved to that location.

How did your family come to move to Kansas? I know Lynnette mentioned living in Fullerton as a child, so you must have lived there for a while.

Yada, yada, babble, babble! I talk a lot.

Hope you have a lovely day. :)

Verna said...

Lovely memories, thanks for sharing.

Hope you have a Happy Birthday!

Holly said...

I love how those stores were nearby. I think I would've been a frequent customer! lol :)

And, no my mom wasn't taking pics. It was my father-in-law.

jamers said...

Linda, What fun memories! I enjoyed reading them so much. You have such a gift for bringing your memories to life through writing. I'm guessing that is where Lynnette gets her gift of writing too! :) Thanks for stopping my my blog today and your nice comments. I look forward to reading more about you as well.
Grins!
Jane Ann

Michelle said...

Hi Linda, wow what great memories! We must be near the same age. I enjoyed kickball, and learning to square dance! The one difference was I went to 8, yes 8 different elementary schools. But that's another story....

Michelle
The Tender Scribe

Aspiemom said...

Happy Birthday, Linda! I love the hijacking thing by Lynnette & Abigail!

You're 10 years older than me - and you remember all of these details about grammar school and I hardly remember anything!

Good post!

Kelci said...

Happy Birthday Linda! That's hysterical what Lynnette and Abigail did! LOVE IT!
Thanks for all your wonderful memories. Your memories brought back so many more of mine. I love this stroll down memory lane.
I forgot to tell you that I LOVE your blog. Abigail is VERY talented and your writing makes it even better! Thank you!
Kelci

Jenilee said...

I LOVE how they hyjacked your blog! :) that is so cute :)

Laura Hoekstra-Bettig said...

Great memories, Linda! And a very Happy Birthday to you! Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I'll be updated to the new format next week! Take care and be blessed, my friend!

His Doorkeeper said...

Hi Linda, I'm 61 and grew up in South Arkansas but think it's funny a little girl in California was doing some of the same things I was doing! Great memories!!

Hope you had a great birthday today!!

Kelly's Mom
Judy

Kelly said...

I read your comment and had to come over and tell you Happy Birthday!!! And then I see my mom commented right above me. ha!
Hope you had a wonderful day! Thanks for your VERY sweet words to me!

Good to be a Queen said...

Have an extra special birthday sweet my friend...I left you a little "present" over at the palace...Come check it out...

Unknown said...

You got over twice the comments I got today! Lucky! :) JUST TEASING! I loved your post! I also loved the carnivals and thought winning a WHOLE cake as a kid was totally cool I also remember the game Thumbs Up 7 Up. Hey, we played some of the same games! Cool!

You really did have a beautiful childhood. I love hearing your stories. Makes me wish I could go and do all those things.

Love you! I hope you had a lovely day mother.

Happy Birthday!!!!!
Lynnette
PS We'll get the blog-jacked note off in the morning.

Linda said...

Thank you sweet blog friends for all of the birthday wishes yesterday. You're the best!

Linda said...

BIG THANK YOU to Lynnette and Abigail for blog-jacking my blog just long enough to put up your birthday greetings at the top of my blog. That was so much fun you guys!!!! Love you~

Kristin said...

I went away on my little trip and now I feel so out of the loop! Ha! I guess I will participate next week on this new meme. I loved reading all about your school days. Sounds so much like what I remember my Mom telling me from her days growing up. I hope you had a wonderful Birthday! I love the header at the top of your blog from Lynnette and Abigail! So adorable!!

Kelly @ Sufficient Grace Ministries said...

Great memories, Linda. How fun that you were the Queen of May...and I used to love spelling bees too! I won a couple in my day! Years ago, I was the director of our school's safety patrol! Go safety patrol!!!

Love to you...

Anonymous said...

I missed your Birthday! How Rude...:(

I sure hope it was a blessed day and all your dreams came true! :)

Isn't it amazing to think that 50 years have gone by and it seems like it was ONLY YESTERDAY! Weird how that happens...Joe and I will celebrate our 29th Aniv. in Sept..and I am only 44! hmmm...What were we thinking!...Times they have changed for sure!

I have been having a hard time blogging, with training and then this silly root canal pain...So I thought Anongba was a nice change..Always have enough pictures of him :)..But why could you not sleep? It's funny because I woke up a little before four am, and could not sleep either. I got off work at 10 pm and have to go back this morning at 6am...and I usually suck all the sleep out of the night that I can on a flip back..but last night not so much...But its always a great time to pray for loved ones and friends right? Have to been to this blog, they are needing prayer: http://www.blestatheist.com/ her granddaughter is going to have surgery...It is a blessing in our life to hold up others isn't it! Hope you got back to sleep...and are enjoying some slumber as I head off to work...Lucky girl! Blessing Shi~