EDS3
Mrs. Byron would have a profound affect on my life. She was from Brooklyn, New York. How she got to Waco, Texas I’ll never know. She had the Brooklyn accent that I seemed to catch. Add that my best friend in the neighborhood for the first two years was from Illinois, and had a mid west accent, whatever Texas accent I had would be lost for many years. It seemed I ran into a lot of “yankees” along the way. My accent was so different than that of my family, that some people thought I had been adopted by my parents. It was so different that a local radio show host accused me of being from Ohio. This lack of Texas accent came in handy later when I got into radio broadcasting where a mid west accent was preferred.
This world, this room would be my home away from home for the next nine months. Six lights from outer space hang from the high white acoustic tile ceiling. They look like silver Saturns with three silver rings orbiting a large, silver faced, light bulb that sent its light to the ceiling. On the wall paralleling the walkway, was a line of gray painted closets topped with small cupboards. The closets were used to store the kids’ coats and hats while the cupboards were used to store kids’ lunches and blankets. The blankets were used at nap time. Next to the closets was a three shelf bookcase. At the top of the wall was a line of three foot wide, one and a half foot windows hinged at the bottom. The latch at the top of the windows was a brass ring that allowed the teacher to open and close them with a long, hook tipped pole that was hung by the door. On the front wall was a large green chalkboard that had silver, horizontal lines painted on it. It went the full width of the room except for four foot bulletin boards on either side. Above the chalkboard was a long strip of card paper with the printed alphabet with both upper and lower case letters. The wall to the right of the chalkboard was full of windows. The lower windows were the same as those at the top of the left wall. Above them were larger three foot wide, four foot tall windows, hinged at the top that swung out. The windows were needed for cross ventilation because the rooms weren’t air conditioned. The only air conditioning in the school was in the principal’s office section and the audio-visual room. Air conditioning was needed in the A-V room since it didn’t have any windows. Below the windows of the right side were more bookcases that were used for books, and visual aids such as globes and figurines. At the back of the room was a work area with a sink, cabinets, and drawers used to store art supplies such as construction paper, finger painting paint, glue, and other paints. On either side of the work area was a door. The door on the right led to the boys’ restroom that was shared with the class next door. The one on the right was the girls’.
The desks for the kids were built for togetherness. Two kids sat at each of the blond wood topped metal desks. Two stacked metal shelves between the kids held their supplies. There were two sizes. The smaller ones could handle grades one through three, while the larger ones handled grades four through six. They were light enough for the kids to move around when the teacher decided to rearrange them. Usually, two desks were put together so the kids would face each other. At first, we were seated alphabetically until the teacher learned everyone’s name. Then it was musical desks as the teacher moved kids around. The boys were hoping to be sitting with another boy. The girls didn’t seem to mind who they sat with. You hardly learned where your desk was when the teacher would change it. I guess the teacher thought it would help us socialize and meet the other kids. Even first graders didn’t need furniture to meet each other.
This world, this room would be my home away from home for the next nine months. Six lights from outer space hang from the high white acoustic tile ceiling. They look like silver Saturns with three silver rings orbiting a large, silver faced, light bulb that sent its light to the ceiling. On the wall paralleling the walkway, was a line of gray painted closets topped with small cupboards. The closets were used to store the kids’ coats and hats while the cupboards were used to store kids’ lunches and blankets. The blankets were used at nap time. Next to the closets was a three shelf bookcase. At the top of the wall was a line of three foot wide, one and a half foot windows hinged at the bottom. The latch at the top of the windows was a brass ring that allowed the teacher to open and close them with a long, hook tipped pole that was hung by the door. On the front wall was a large green chalkboard that had silver, horizontal lines painted on it. It went the full width of the room except for four foot bulletin boards on either side. Above the chalkboard was a long strip of card paper with the printed alphabet with both upper and lower case letters. The wall to the right of the chalkboard was full of windows. The lower windows were the same as those at the top of the left wall. Above them were larger three foot wide, four foot tall windows, hinged at the top that swung out. The windows were needed for cross ventilation because the rooms weren’t air conditioned. The only air conditioning in the school was in the principal’s office section and the audio-visual room. Air conditioning was needed in the A-V room since it didn’t have any windows. Below the windows of the right side were more bookcases that were used for books, and visual aids such as globes and figurines. At the back of the room was a work area with a sink, cabinets, and drawers used to store art supplies such as construction paper, finger painting paint, glue, and other paints. On either side of the work area was a door. The door on the right led to the boys’ restroom that was shared with the class next door. The one on the right was the girls’.
The desks for the kids were built for togetherness. Two kids sat at each of the blond wood topped metal desks. Two stacked metal shelves between the kids held their supplies. There were two sizes. The smaller ones could handle grades one through three, while the larger ones handled grades four through six. They were light enough for the kids to move around when the teacher decided to rearrange them. Usually, two desks were put together so the kids would face each other. At first, we were seated alphabetically until the teacher learned everyone’s name. Then it was musical desks as the teacher moved kids around. The boys were hoping to be sitting with another boy. The girls didn’t seem to mind who they sat with. You hardly learned where your desk was when the teacher would change it. I guess the teacher thought it would help us socialize and meet the other kids. Even first graders didn’t need furniture to meet each other.
Replies
I enjoy your \'Memory Lane\' :-)