Fifth Grade

My granddaughter begins fifth grade today. I've already written about the little bit of trouble I had in fifth grade. LOL This morning I pulled out an old photo album to see what I looked like in fifth grade. That's me in the headband next to the flag pole. The boy on the top row, second from the right was briefly my sweetheart. The girl on the top row far left was my best friend. The girl I wrote the note to isn't in the photo because she had already moved. If only I had been patient!!

I was surprised to see that our class was a combined fifth and sixth grade. With all the moving we did, that was something I hadn't remembered. I was a transfer student and had missed about 20 days at the beginning of the year.(I'd have to check my list, but I think we had been in Caney.) I do remember the principal asking my parents to let me move to the seventh grade at the end of school and Mom refused. I still have my report card from that class and Mrs.Correia says that I completed the work for fifth and sixth grade. I was mad at Mom for a while, but later understood her reasons. She just didn't want to put me in class with those "big kids". She didn't think I was emotionally ready- perhaps because of the note incident. The next year I was in a different class, but I don't remember hating it or being terribly bored. I must have had a good teacher.

My fifth grade report card has an interesting comment: "Mary's accomplishments reflect some very fine intellectual stimulation has been going on at home for a long time." I think my teacher was probably surprised that a poor transient family from Oklahoma cared so much for books and learning. But there were always books in our house- either from the library or garage sales. My mom was always reading and writing something. My dad was always talking about something he had read or seen or heard about. He loved to read encylopedias and bought old copies at sales. And of course we had traveled a lot. I had already seen more of the US than most of my classmates. My "intellectual stimulation" was just everyday life to us.

I hope my granddaughter enjoys fifth grade. It was certainly a transition for me. A lot of other things happened that year that changed my life. I hope her year is filled with only good things.

 

Comments

[Susan]

What became of the young man wearing the tie - second row from the top, left end? Was he dressed for success?
Susan