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I only have vague memories of my first day of school. I didn't go to Kindergarten, so my introduction to school was first grade.

Mom waited with me at the bus stop, which was simply the spot next to the mailbox, across the street from the trailer house on Oglesby Road. I was very anxious about the bus: would I need to pay the bus driver? Mom didn't know, either, so she gave me some change. When I boarded the bus, I tried to pay the driver, but he or she just laughed and told me to sit down.

That's my only specific memory of the first day of school.

I do remember things from the rest of the year. I remember the small, stuffy gym at Eccles. I remember playing on the monkey bars. I remember learning about homonyms. I remember reading in a series of small books that included The Wee Light. I remember dressing up in a powdered wig and marching around singing patriotic songs for the Bicentennial celebration. I remember getting my mouth washed out with soap because I happened to be standing next to a couple of boys who were swearing (one of my first lessons in arbitrary punishment). I remember that each week a parent would come in and give a presentation on what they did for a living; my parents brought in a food dryer and handed out dried apples and dried pineapple. I remember that we had to write a report after each presentation, a report on that heavy, pulpy first-grade paper, the kind with chunks of wood still floating in it. I remember recess, and the library, and the cafeteria. I remember thinking Tikki Tikki Tembo was the funniest thing ever. I remember show-and-tell.

I loved school, even in first grade. (And even in high school.) I wasn't a particularly good student in first grade, or second grade. It wasn't until third grade that I blossomed...

It doesn't surprise me that Harrison likes symmetry. He may be a wild kid sometimes, but secretly (or not-so-secretly), he's a lover of order at rules. :)

On preview: well, that's a problem. Two thiings: you don't have line-breaks on in comments, so even though I've typed nice paragraph breaks, everything appears as one big lump of text. Also, you're not allowing HTML in comments, so my tags and my links have been stripped...

Huh. That's strange. On preview, the line-breaks were stripped from the comment. When I posted them, they returned.

The HTML is missing from both, though.

Like JD, I did not go to kindergarten.

I remember that I waited with JD (David) at the bus stop (the same one he waited at) and rode bus #7 to Eccles. I can remember walking down a wide hallway to Mr. Schultz's room. It was on the left -- almost all the way down the hallway to the double doors that went out to the playground. I may have had some kind of name tag around my neck.

I remember learning the alphabet -- and the sounds the letters (and letter combinations made). The 8-1/2 x 11 letter cards were posted around the front of the classroom close to the ceiling. Mr. Schultz would uncover a new letter every day. I remember that Mr. Schultz had a very old, very cool car -- but I don't know what model it was.

After our first 9 weeks (Canby did a year-round system at that time), we were moved to the brand new Philander Lee Elementary School across the tracks.

Unlike JD, I never did like school much. I always wanted to be somewhere else having fun.

It's good to see that GingerichFamily.com has come to life again. See you guys tonight!

Love the photos! What fun.

I remember kindergarten. I was so excited to start school because I had three older brothers and I wanted to do everything they did. But, my teacher was rumored to be a hippie who lived in "Lucky Mud," a hippie community on the outskirts of our tiny, rural, Washington town. I didn't know, or care, what a hippie was, but I remember my brothers taunting me about having a teacher from Lucky Mud. Turns out she was pretty darn cool.

Aha! I remember the alphabet cards that Jeff mentions. We had those in Mrs. Onion's class, too. (Though I think they were narrower, maybe 4-1/4 x 11.)

No Kindergarten for me or my children.

I remember having nap time in the classroom in Ninety-One school where the iMac lab is now.

I also remember having to eat some of everything at lunch. We had the same rule at home, but mom made food we liked.

We had a great merry-go-round, swing set and slide in the playground.

I had perfect attendance in the first grade.

Harrison I enjoy having you in class! You are a wonderful student and bring great fun to the classroom. This is an exciting time to make new friends and explore learning.
I went to Carus Elementary and had Mrs. Stahl as a kindergarten teacher! She was a fun teacher and always had good stories to read.
I hope your year is filled with exciting times!