BLOG POST FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

BLOG POST      FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN       

While I grew into loving school you would never have imagined that if you had witnessed the scene when my Daddy dropped me off at kindergarten the first day. Hysterics! Shrieking! Screams! Wailing!

I wrapped my arms and legs around one of my father’s legs and I begged him with tears—real tears—to PLEASE not to leave me there. Mrs. Evans had been through this drill before. She deftly peeled me off my Daddy’s pants leg and freed him so he could go back to work.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Morton, “ Mrs. Evans told him. “She will be fine. We will take good care of her.” Daddy left.

For the first time, I looked around my new environment. The room was below the sidewalk level about three or four steps down. The windows were wooden and were propped open. The door was open as well. We were right on Jeff Davis Avenue a medium traffic street, in a town with 25 mile an hour speed zones. In 1959 cars were not common. There was virtually no traffic during the school morning.

In the back of the big room for the newest kids of whom I was one, there was a HUGE doll house that you could walk into.  There were  windows that were cut out—no panes of glass. There was an opening for a door, but no door attached. There were giant stuffed dolls, some nearly as large as we were at age five.

The main room off to the left led into two other rooms. The one in the back was taught by Miss Lockett. She was tall, slender , brown- skinned: lovely. 

       

She wore glasses. She wore red lipstick;  and, if you needed one, she would give you a kiss. You would have a red lip print on your forehead all day! What a reward! It was bound to dry up tears.

The other room was taught by another teacher whose name escapes me at the moment. She was shorter than Miss Lockett, but taller than Mrs. Evans. Mrs. Evans could be well represented by Mrs. Potts from the Disney animated version of “Beauty and the Beast.”

We learned songs.

This is the way we brush our teeth

Brush our teeth, brush our teeth

This is the way we brush our teeth

Early in the morning.

This is the way we comb our hair

Comb our hair, comb our hair

This is the way we comb our hair

Early in the morning.

Lazy Mary will you get up, will you get up, will you get up?

Lazy Mary will you get up, will you get up in the morning?

No, Mother I won’t get up, I won’t get up, I won’t get up,

No, Mother, I won’t get, I won’t get up in the morning.

He’s got the whole world in His hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands.

He’s got the birds of the air                      verse  2

He’s got the fishes of the sea                   verse  3

He’s got you and me sister                       verse  4

He’s got you and me brother                   verse  5

He’s got the little bitty baby                    verse  6

He’s got the whole world in His hands.  verse  7

We had motions and hand movements to accompany each verse.

We had recess. There was an actual manual hand bell that was rung to alert us when recess began and when it ended. We played in a fenced backyard that was blacktopped. There were no climbing things or soft cushioned surface on the ground. There were hopscotch squares drawn in chalk on the black top.

We played dodge ball, and ring games. Ring games are those in which the kids form a circle or ring and hold hands and walk in a circle in one direction and then the other. We would clap and sing, and one person would walk around the outside of the ring carrying a handkerchief*.  

The one walking around the ring would try to drop the handkerchief behind a kid who wasn’t paying attention. But when you found it handkerchief behind you, you got the turn to walk around the outside of the ring of kids, singing and clapping.

After recess we heard the bell ring. We learned to line up single file. We learned to wait. We got to each have a drink of water from the water cooler. Then, we went inside for Orange-Aid and cookies. We didn’t use the term snack. Or you could get white milk or chocolate milk. 

We sat in rows along rectangular tables. We said a blessing over our food before we ate. When did we wash our hands? 

We must have done that. Playing in water is one of really fun things to do as a kid. Oh, yes, after the line up to get water to drink, we went to the bathroom. Then, we washed our hands.

There was nap time. We lay on cots, I think, and rested. The windows were open, and the breezes were cool and fresh. 

There was shady coolness and in the quiet when all the kids were lying down quietly, sleep came easily.

At last, finally, our school morning was over.  My Granny walked up the street to collect me from Kindergarten. She and I walked back home together.

I loved those walks. As a child it seemed far. But I know now that it was perhaps three blocks at the most, and not very long blocks, at that.