Teacher: Mrs. Young
In second grade, there was a lot of focus on learning to print neatly. Mrs. Young would hand out paper and then dictate sentences for us to copy down. The paper consisted of grayish sheets containing visible splinters of wood, striped in alternating solid and dotted blue lines. I routinely flunked this exercise because I would run out of paper before I ran out of sentence.
In second grade, there was a lot of focus on learning to print neatly. Mrs. Young would hand out paper and then dictate sentences for us to copy down. The paper consisted of grayish sheets containing visible splinters of wood, striped in alternating solid and dotted blue lines. I routinely flunked this exercise because I would run out of paper before I ran out of sentence.
It took me about half the school year to figure out I was writing too big. I’ve NEVER figured out why she didn’t just tell me that.
On one version of the paper, the top half was blank, and sometimes she’d have us draw a picture and then write a paragraph explaining it.
One time I drew myself in a Crayola-blue floor-length dress, sitting at a typewriter. I wanted, I said, to be a writer.
Still do.
You ARE a writer, Jeanne, and a great one at that! Now I didn't know your gown size, so I brought THESE instead. If you can re-sketch the floor length number you had in mind, I'll quickly color it in, and we'll have you dressed in no time!
ReplyDeleteYou are successfully turning us all into kids this week.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite times of the year were Christmas, Easter, and the Fall Festival at the school. I "rescued" quite a few goldfish in those days by spending a quarter and tossing ping pong balls into those little bowls.
Loved the Fall Festival!
Have you overlooked the fact of your being a writer?
ReplyDelete*hands on face while sitting at computer* I am in awe of your writing. I think I just wrote my first good piece of work on my chef post...took me darn long enough, and I too wrote big, trying to make the teach happy, and my mom heard it first...why did they not just tell us? Maybe to save hurt feelings? not sure...I like the school Christmas plays, and shows...
ReplyDeleteThat's the great thing about bloggers - you are a writer (even if you don't get paid much yet.) I love your work.
ReplyDeleteI used to love that paper, too.
Fall Festivals! I'd forgotten all about them, including Mom's expression every time we'd bring home one of those poor little goldfish that she'd soon be flushing down the toilet while we all wailed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Field Days! The spring athletic competitions with, as I recall, the same goodies that abounded during Fall Festivals. My mom would donate popcorn balls and fudge constructed from My-T-Fine chocolate pudding mix.
K's family used to call that sending the fish down the "White River".
ReplyDeleteI remember that first paper you got to write on- so coarse it still had chunks of wood in it..
ReplyDeleteI used to love that paper -- so many possibilities! Now I feel the same way about the pristine white word-document screen. Thanks for reminding us to bring some of that childlike joy to our grownup life.
ReplyDeleteHandwriting drove me crazy. It still does:)
ReplyDeleteAll that learning to write neatly just never paid off in my case... still write like a nervous spider dipped in ink!
ReplyDeleteI never knew I was writing too big till Now...LOL
ReplyDeleteI remember those sheets of paper!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memory. I hope you've bought yourself a crayola-blue dress...
Pearl
Wow! I'm going thru this with my son now and it really is so cool to remember my own trysts with those solid and broken lines, damn them!!
ReplyDeleteOne time I drew myself in a Crayola-blue floor-length dress, sitting at a typewriter. I wanted, I said, to be a writer.
ReplyDeleteNow that is the sweetest thing I ever heard. You are a writer Jeanne and a damn great one at that. Perhaps you need to find that blue dress and then the picture will be complete.
I wanted to be a nun. I got over it.
Perhaps that little girl was just predicting the future ...
ReplyDeleteBe a writer? You are a writer! I'm looking for you at Amazon.
ReplyDeleteHow evocative. Not only do I remember that paper now, I remember how it smelled!
ReplyDeleteI think your writing is perfect. And so neat. Mrs Young knew diddly-squat.
ReplyDeleteCrayola blue is my favorite! And my little girl brings home her art and stories on that same paper now. My refrigerator is covered, and I love it!
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the white glue that was edible(because they knew kids would eat it?)...
ReplyDeleteMe too, something about the allure of sitting at home at the pc just typing away, trying to make sense of the thoughts you had about a particular event...can I slow my mind enough to think...hell no...I got peas to plant...maybe next year the novel.
ReplyDeleteBut I do recall my third grade teacher telling me to do over my coloring because it wasn't correct, maybe that's what stimulated my artistic nature and turned me into the artist that I am today???hmmmm...
Later...s
I wish my memories were that vivid. I only remember them when you bring it up!
ReplyDeleteI loved the writing books. I would look forward to filling them up with my child handwriting. I thought I had nice handwriting actually.
ReplyDeleteYes, why the hell didn't she just tell you you were writing too big??
ReplyDeleteI think you're a fabulous writer. Keep doing it!
As one who has been gifted with the chance to read your writing since it's earliest days I have always believe you were a writer and envied you that talent. Being published does not a writer make!
ReplyDeleteGreat retrospectives..I enjoyed them all..I loved that paper, I took it home at the end of the week and erased it and wrote what I wanted! I also used to buy it by the ream for the Grandkids..gosh I must be a paper whore:)
ReplyDelete