Memory Monday: The First School Years

My first year of school was at a bible church behind our house (now covered with subdivisions, there was once only an alfalfa field between our house and the church). My teacher was Mrs. Miller – I don’t remember much from that first year except that at some point the cover of a fluorescent light broke off from the ceiling and landed on my knee. I don’t think this hurt, I just think it stood out as one of the very first extraordinary things to ever happen to me — made me feel a bit special. The school’s name was Raggedy Ann & Andy’s Kinder-College… not sure if there was legal permission to use the Raggedy Ann/Andy franchise for the school, but I suppose the statute of limitations has expired and any financial damages long since forgotten.

I graduated first in my class (well, I think everyone did, but still). I’d love to go back to that school today, because I remember the rooms we had our school in seemed absolutely cavernous at the time.

And I wonder if they’ve fixed that fluorescent light cover yet.

Anyway, for this installment of Memory Monday you’ll find some good prompting questions to spur your own thinking about your first years in school, and how those formative years shaped your interests (and non-interests) later in life:

Did you attend preschool or kindergarten? Where?

What was your teacher’s name and first impressions?

Descibe any “first day of school” rituals your family had.

What were your feelings about the first day of school? What do you remember?

What did you like to do during recess? What games did you play, and who did you play them with?

What was your favorite topic or subject in school? What specific things can you still remember learning in your classes?

What kind of special projects did you do, and what was your topic (animal, state, country)?

What events did you most enjoy participating in, either during of after school? (assemblies, choir, plays, festivals, field day, etc.)

What was your lunch period like? Did you eat in the cafeteria? Was the food served individually, or family style? Did you look forward to certain types of food for lunch?

Who were your best friends at school?

What field trips you do remember taking during elementary school?