Day Seventyseven: Two Room School

Ten o'clock at night is just not the time for me to try to make a blog entry. Anyhow, with that in mind, this is a cloud that I photographed at my mother's house in Calcium, NY. Calcium, NY? My, isn't that a peculiar name? Well, it's a little hamlet about three miles from North of Watertown, in Jefferson County. I grew up there. It was a wonderful place. Small town. Everyone knew everyone. I even went to a two room school for grades one through four. We had two teachers. One, Mrs. McManaman, taught first and second grade in one of the rooms. The other, Mrs. Carlisle, taught third and fouth grade in the second room. Now bear in mind, these were small class sizes. The first grade class was on one side of the room and the second grade on the other side of the room. The teachers would alternate instruction in a between the two grades. For instance, she might start with the the first grade with, let's say, spelling. At conclusion of that lesson she would give them a work sheet to do related to that lesson. With the first grade thus occupied, she would instruct the second gradeon a particular lesson. At the conclusion, she would give the second graders an assignment to do. As they did that task, she would go back to the first graders and give them a lesson in another subject. So the day went, back and forth between the two grades. The same thing went on in the room with the third and fourth grades. It was really something. For one thing, as you sat in the second grade you were overhearing, and paying attention to the first grade math, reading, or whatever. This was a REVIEW of all the stuff you had learned the year befor. Likewise, the firts graders happened to be exposed to the second grade lessons, and thus, got a preview of what was to come in their second year. Likewise with the third and forth garde room. As I relate this this, I cannot help but be somewhat overcome with nostalgia, and be thankful for what a wonderful life I have been given. It is unreal.

"The things I wrestle with are legion, for they are many." Gary Walts 5/17/10

Some day I will elaborate.