Saturday, August 9, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Share Some Elementary School Memories

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 
 It's Saturday Night again - 
time for some more Genealogy Fun!!



Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!): 
1) It's almost time for the new school year to start in the Northern hemisphere, and for most children that meant a new grade, a new teacher, and perhaps new friends.

2)  Tell us about some of your elementary school memories when you were a child.  What are your memories of starting school in a new year?  Who were your teachers?  How did you get to school?  Who were your best friends?  What subjects did you like best?  What extra-curricular activities did you participate in?  Make up your own questions if you'd like!

3)  Share your memories in your own blog post, or in a Facebook or Google+ post.

 Here's mine:


I attended all seven years of elementary school (1948-1955) kindergarten plus six grades) at Brooklyn Elementary at 30th Street and A Street in San Diego.  This was about 8 blocks south of my home.  My brother and I either walked or rode our bikes.  It was downhill going, and uphill coming home.  We usually used 30th Street because it was wider and had better sidewalks, plus two mom and pop stores and a drug store.  They built a new school several blocks away about ten years ago, but the old campus is now a Charter school campus called Albert Einstein Academy.  

I was always excited about the new school year.  We never knew who our teacher was gonig to be.  I had Mrs. Cleator for kindergarten (she seemed about 80 years old, but was probably only 60 or so); Mrs. Brown for first grade; I don't recall my second and third grade teachers;  Miss Williams was my fourth grade teacher, and I really liked her;  Mr. de la Torre was my 5th grade teacher, and he was good.  Mr. Wragg was my 6th grade teacher, and I liked him too (he was killed in 1979 by a student shooting at his school in San Diego).  

My best friends during 4th to 6th grade were Gordon MacLennan and Steve Johnson.  I lost track of Gordon after Junior High School.  I went all the way through high school with Steve, who was the smartest, most athletic and most fun guy in the classes - we competed.  Baseball cards were the big deal, and we had a group that traded them like crazy.  We knew the names of all of the San Diego Padre and Cleveland Indian players (Padres were the Indians PCL farm club) -- our favorites were Herb Score, Rocky Colavito, and Luke Easter.  We used to take the #2 bus down to the Padres games at Lane Field (Broadway and Harbor Drive).

Girl friends?  Not many, I was too busy with school and sports.  There was one, named Carrie, when I was in 6th grade.  I don't remember her last name.  I still remember where she lived over on Bancroft Street, but I don't know recall seeing her after 6th grade.  

My favorite subject was mathematics.  I quickly learned to add, subtract, my times tables, and division, and then fractions, and I think we started a little algebra.  I hated doing oral book reports.  My favorite period was recess, of course!  We had a large playground on one block, and a small ball field across Fern Street on the opposite corner.  We usually played baseball or kickball or dodgeball there.  In the spring, there was a travel softball league and I played for several years and got to visit other schools and see their facilities.  I usually played right field or end-of-the-bench, but I rooted good!

The major extracurricular activity for me was the Safety Patrol.  I joined in 4th grade, and did my duty at the corner of Fern and A Street every day after school while in 4th and 5th grade. We wore white uniforms, with a yellow hat and a red sweater.  I became a Sergeant in 5th grade and got to blow the whistle, and then became Supply Sergeant in 6th grade, the second in command;  Steve was the Lieutenant in charge, and then a Captain later in 6th grade.  This was tied into the Police Department, so we had an officer who commanded us.  I was lucky because in 6th grade it was Officer Richard Tazelaar, who was a family friend of ours.  The best part of this was being part of a team and learning discipline (we marched, shouted orders, etc.) but one Saturday a month the Police Department hosted all of the Safety Patrol members at the Fox Theater in downtown San Diego - cartoons, movies, hot dogs, punch, popcorn, peanuts, etc.  It was a great reward!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-share-some.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


5 comments:

Dorene from Ohio said...

Randy, What a fun post this time! Here is mine:
http://graveyardrabbitofsanduskybay.blogspot.com/2014/08/sngf-share-some-elementary-school.html

Dana Leeds said...

Another great challenge that brought back a lot of memories. We need to share our stories & not just those of our ancestors. Thanks, Randy! Here's mine: http://theenthusiasticgenealogist.blogspot.com/2014/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-share-some.html

GeneGinny said...

Nice challenge, Randy, but a bit humbling. My memories don't seem to be as cogent as your's and the others who have posted.
http://geneginny.blogspot.com/2014/08/sngf-elementary-school-memories.html

Anonymous said...

Fun mission! Brought back a lot of memories of my own school history since right now I'm knee-deep in getting my sons to school and to a good start (8th and 10th graders).

Here is a link to my post:

http://wp.me/p4Lfgs-64

D. Taylor said...

Great idea. I posted my 5th Grade experiences on my blog, D. Taylor's Genealogy http://tinyurl.com/qxvh7ox