How well, I do remember everything about that first day of elementary school, in 1965. I think it was shocked into me in a way that I would never forget.

We had just moved to the rural area where my Dad's Parents lived, shortly before my 1st day of "real school" began. Prior to that we had lived in a much larger metropolitan area. I was used to riding the city bus, or mom calling a taxi, if Dad wasn't home to take us where we needed to go. I had my favorite ice cream man that came down the street, played hop scotch on the sidewalk, and things like that. I was use to city life, and even the way we talked, in low, well modulated tones, with a slight "Yankee" accent. To top it all off before my sister came along, Mom and I would travel with Dad when we could. So I had become quite the little ingenue about town in all of my 6 years of living.

When we moved to the "country" as Mom called it. I was enrolled in the  Head-start Program. Back then Head-start was a 6 week long summer program, designed to help jump-start your education. If I'm not mistaken Mom and Dad had to pay a small fee for me to be able to go. It was more like an exploratory art class to me. All I knew was I had graduated and was ready to start school in the fall. 

My first grade teacher Miss Hayes had just graduated collage the year before, and this was her first teaching position. I heard Mom say, "She seemed to be handling everything well" to my Dad. So they stood around and talked a few more minutes to some of the other parents then, Dad left to go back to work at our business across the street. 

Naturally some of the kids were going through anxiety separation, but I assured Mom that I would be ok, and she could go on home. Little Miss Gun Ho was ready to get down to some serious learning. I already could read some big words out of the daily paper, and I knew all about an Abacus and how to add on one of those, so I figured I was all set.

Our teacher, finally got all the parents taken care of and everyone settled in around a great big long oval table. There we sat in our little wooden chairs waiting for instructions from teacher.

She walked around and passed out coloring sheets to each of us and set big boxes of crayons in the middle, and on both ends. We were to share the crayons, and to pass them back and forth so that everyone had the color they needed. About half way through my 1st sheet I needed a green crayon, so I turned to the girl beside my, and ask her to please pass me the green, and gave her my yellow in exchange. By that time the room had grown very quite as we all concentrated on our pages, and Miss Hayes was filling out her Roll Call Book.

All at once someone yells, "HAND ME THAT THERE YELLER CRAYON". I jumped half out of my hide. One little girl screamed, another started to cry, and one of the boys stood up and punched the boy that had yelled in the arm, telling him to be quite. There was another little boy named Glen that wee'd all over himself, and poor Miss Hayes soon had a bunch of crying squalling kids on her hands. So right in the middle of the melee, I decided my Daddy was just across the street working and I was going to him. I'd had enough of these rude, LOUD, kids, and I was going home.

I got out the door, and was walking down the hall when I ran into my Head Start Teacher Mrs Shartzer, she ask, "What are you doing out of class"? Of course I told her. So she got me by the hand and said for me to come and go with her. We went back to my class room where Miss Hayes was trying to restore order. Mrs Shartzer being an older and more seasoned teacher graciously helped Miss Hayes restore order. I still wasn't so convinced that it was safe, but she assured me that she would be right down the hall if we had any more problems.

I'm sure Miss Hayes was embarrassed that another teacher had walked into a Hornet's Nest of upset 1st graders. But she was always so polite about it. She never did scold me for leaving or bringing Mrs Shartzer to our room.

Copyright ©2008 Cynara