I have loved reading your thoughts on the blog topics. Some of you have a very good understanding of what the psychology of education is all about.
This blog is a little different.
I would like you to explain the earliest memory you have of school. Mine was the first day that my mom dropped me off in my Kindergarten classroom. The teacher had me find my name on the board. I pointed it out and then turned around to find that my mother was gone. I cried and cried. This is the earliest memory I have about school. What is yours?
Splichal
My earliest memory is from preschool. I attended a private preschool that was held in the basement of the Church of the Nazarene, Mrs. Barnes was my teacher. I remember doing leaf rubbings in her class. I remember that she was snugly like a bear and I liked going. I don't remember if I was 3 or 4, I went both years prior to attending Kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school would have to be at Montessori school. My twin sister and I both attended in the same class. We were apparently learning about animals and fish, because we all got to bring home a bag of guppies (I am hoping this was a parent approved and anticipated thing- but I don’t remember that part). I can remember vividly my sister and I both walking out of the school with our water filled bags of guppies to show our Mom. My twin sister dropped hers on the steps, and she started to cry. I gave her my bag and then picked up hers to carry to the car. Funny looking back, this is an example of why educators separated the two of us early on in our education; it actually became a large problem. Several of my early memories are of me “taking care” of my sister, or doing things for her.
ReplyDeleteJackie, I liked reading about you and your twin sister. I have twins that are in kindergarten and I chose to separate them. I have one that always does whatever the other one is doing, so I wanted her to have a chance to be more independent. Out of curiosity, do you still find yourself taking care of your sister?
DeleteAmy
Hi Amy,
DeleteAt this point in our lives we live several hours apart, so the amount of time we spend together is limited. However, I can tell you that it is something we have both had to work on for many years. My parents did a great job early on of making us unique individuals, they encouraged us to participate in different activities throughout school, which really helped us. However, even to this day, there are times my parents have to remind me to take a step back, or remind my sister to do something on her own without waiting for my lead. If I had one piece of advice, I can tell you that the greatest thing my parents did throughout my life was acknowledge that yes we are twins, but we are also individuals. One thing in particular that I remember about my youth was that people tended to address us as "the twins". Oh, I hated that! My parents knew it so they corrected people regularly and called us by name. When introducing the kids in our family, it was "Jennifer, Bryan, Jaclyn & Julie" not "Jennifer, Bryan & the twins" To this day I appreciate that they took the time to recognize that we are both special and unique individuals. Sorry for the long winded response! And thanks for the interest! It is fun being a twin, but there are unique challenges as well! I wish both of your children a wonderful Kindergarten experience! :)
My earliest memory of school is vague recollection of preschool. I remember going to this little school by the dog racing track. The only thing that sticks in my mind is watching this one girl who use to walk a funny way that made her hair bounce up and down. I didn't like her very much.
ReplyDeleteThe next memory I have is of kindergarten, which was a little house that only had kindergarteners. The teachers would give us morning snack outside which was always those little butter cookies that look like flowers that you could put your fingers through and a tiny daisy cup of sugary red juice. I was always hungry after snack. My grandmother would pick me up on Wednesdays and we'd walk to her house and have cream cheese and nut sandwiches.
That sounds like a tasty sandwich...I have not heard of that!
DeleteAmy,
DeleteIsn't it amazing the little things from childhood that we can remember? I wish I could remember things that happened in the last week (or even earlier today) as well as I can remember things from 40+ years ago!
Becky
My earliest memory of school was being taught how to read into kindergarten. I had learned to read before coming into school, and was so afraid that I was "doing it wrong." When we had "silent reading" time, I remember that many of my classmates would whisper out loud to sound out words. I knew how to read silently (it's what I did at home, too), but figured that if everyone else was doing it that way, I must've messed it up, so I whispered everything I read aloud, too. It wasn't until the teacher told me that I didn't need to do it that I stopped.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cute!! It is funny at how an early age if we are unsure we would do and copy what others were doing because we needed clarity that it was okay the way we were doing it. Such a great story and thank you for sharing!
DeleteMy earliest memory of school was in preschool. This took a moment as I kept going back in memories, which was pretty cool to remember all the funny times in school. So my memory was when it was nap time and I got up when the teacher left the room and started walking around and waking up all my friends because I couldn't go to sleep and wanted to play. Then the next thing I remember that when some of my friends woke up they started crying and then my nap mat from then on out was by the teachers desk away from everyone else. HAHA man was I a trouble maker.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
DeleteI LOVE your memory! I can't remember ever doing what you did in school; but at 52 years old, I still want to wake other people up when I can't sleep. It isn't because I want to play; it is because I am irritated that they can sleep and I can't! haha
Becky
My earliest memory of school was from preschool (actually I am not sure it was actually a preschool). I think they called it story hour. My main memory from this class was that we would color and the teacher would put the "best pictures" up in the window. Mine was never hung in the window. I remember feeling sad that mine was never good enough. I never was very "artsy", I guess that is why I became an accountant.
ReplyDeleteMy next memory is from kindergarten. The teacher would put a student's name on the board if they got into trouble. Throughout kindergarten my name was never on the board. I was very proud of that and used to daydream that she would give me some elaborate prize at the end of the year for not being in trouble.
Your memory of names being written on the board brought up another memory of mine! In first grade I remember having never been in trouble, but then one day was talking and the teacher shouted for me to write my name up there! I was mortified, it literally ruined my whole week! Ha!
DeleteThat also triggered a memory of mine. I was also a kid that never got in trouble and never had to write my name on the board. Then the day came when I was talking and the teacher made me write my name on the board. I was upset and worried that my parents would find out. It was all I could think about all day it seemed was my teacher would call my parents and I would be in trouble when I got home. When I got home my mom didn't say anything to me so I knew the teacher hadn't called. Then the phone rang I was worried it was the teacher and I started to cry. My mom finished talking to the person on the phone and I remember her saying "bye Toby" my aunt. I stopped crying then but my mom asked my why I had started crying. I told her that I was scared that my teacher was calling to tell her that I had to write my name on the board. funny thing is I can't for the life of me remember if I got in trouble from my mom or not.
DeleteMy first memory of school is going to my kindergarten classroom. i still remember Mrs. Cunningham and to this day still talk to her. She LOVED pigs and they were everywhere in her classroom. She is the reason I want to be a kindergarten teacher to this day. I remember her as this nice lady who taught me how to learn and we had so much fun in her classroom. I could not tell you what we did but I can tell you I was so excited to go back to school after going to her class. Even my parents to this day say that she is one of the reasons why I enjoy school so much. Which I think is why I strive so much to make learning fun for the students because that is how I became so excited to learn and go to school.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny how those early teachers stick with us for so long. I too had a teacher in first grade that really stuck with me. She also moved to 2nd grade when I did. She was great. When I was a junior in high school she passed away from cancer. In her desk was my 2nd grade picture. The paras that was cleaning out her deck came down to the high school and brought it to me. I went to a school building that had k-12 all in one. She is one reason I am standing where I am.
DeleteIt is amazing how those teachers stick with us as you both mentioned. I've written papers for college courses about the attributes of my favorite/best educator - and it has and will forever be my kindergarten teacher. I hope I have that impact on students!
DeleteThe memory that sticks in my mind the most was during my kindergarten year. The first memory I can remember is sitting on the counter where my mom would have us practice reciting our full names, phone numbers, and address. I have many students in my classes that still do not know their phone numbers or addresses and I think it is something that is important. I believe it was great to have us learn all of these things at such a young age. My mom was my teacher and at the time I never thought anything of it. Looking back, I think it would be extremely difficult to teach my child. It seems like it would be terribly hard not to push them more or show favoritism and treat your child exactly the same as the other students.
ReplyDeleteThat's great that your mom taught you those very important things at such a young age. I've worked in a school as a paraproffesional for seven years and I know that the Kindergarteners coming in many of them don't even know their last names! I can hardly believe this! So, the teachers make them say their first and last names to check out library books daily.
DeleteThe earliest memory that I have of school is in Kindergarten we had this huge room that had several centers to it. I remember walking in on Monday mornings to see which letter was blown up into a letter peson such as Mr. B or Mrs. A. Then we got to tell our teachers about the letter and practice writing it and play with the blow up letter and so on. After that year I moved to Kansas and that's all I can remember about being in school in Nebraska. In first grade in Kansas I remember our teacher playing a keyboard and singing Puff the Magic Dragon to us daily. Because of this and some other experiences with music therapy I am trying to learn to play the guitar to have in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good idea to use music in your classroom and play guitar to them. I am sure this will excite your students and get their attentions.
DeleteOH MY!! Puff the Magic Dragon was my favorite! I had forgotten about him until you said this! His movie always made me cry! Why I don't remember but I still remember the song about little Jackie Paper! LOL! Another thing that finally comes to mind about kindergarten is our janitor. He was a fantastic artist and every day, in each room after he had cleaned he would draw some silly little scene on the board so we knew he'd been there. As I read all these posts more and more memories are coming back to me!
DeleteThe teacher that taught the opposite class as mine always had her guitar and would play it and sing to her class. But my teacher never did anything fun
DeleteMy earliest memory of school was when I attended Head Start. I went with my best friend and he and I played all day. I remember that the room was divided into sections that had a kitchen section, block section and so forth. My favorite, being the kitchen section. I remember our cook was named Violet and we all called her Grandma. My favorite thing to eat at school was when Grandma Violet made macaroni and cheese with summer sausage in it. I also remember getting a pearl white tooth brush at school and it had a rabbit ballerina on it. I sent that home with my Grandpa and Grandma, so I would have a toothbrush there at their house. I can remember riding the bus to school and that my mom helped out a bit so I wasn’t scared at all. This is the earliest memory I have of school and granted it is kind of all crammed together and one memory.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school was, surprisingly, in pre-school. There were a group of mother's in my community with children my age who took turns taking us to pre-school. Driving there day after day was terrible because I was the only girl, the days my mother drove, the boys would sit nice and quietly - however, when their mother's drove, they would pull my pigtails and be bullies! How terrible is that? It's funny because we all grew up together and graduated from the same high school and such - I still tease them to this day about picking on me in pre-school! An actual memory that occurred at school was that we were doing circle time and I grabbed a toy from the shelf and when the teacher saw it she snatched it from my hand. I cried for what seemed like hours. It's amazing that I grew up to absolutely LOVE school as much as I did, who would've thought? Haha!
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school was my first day of kindergarten. I was scared to ride the bus on my first day so my uncle,who was a senior, road the bus with me the first day I got to sit by him and wasn't scared at all. I got to return the favor when I was in high school when I road the bus with his sons on their first days of school.
ReplyDeleteThat is a neat tradition! Maybe his sons will sit with your sons someday!
DeleteJohn,
DeleteWhat a wonderful tradition and the memories that the tradition makes!
Becky
I am really struggling with trying to remember something from kindergarten, which would have been my first school experience because we didn't have preschool...or if we did my parents couldn't afford to send me because it would have been the latter part of the 1970s and we were farmers and the farm economy was so horrible then. What I distinctly remember was the bus ride to school that very first day. I was in the afternoon kindergarten group so a little bus picked me up at home. Mom had made a cute little tote bag for me (which I still have) with my name appliqued on it. I was so small for my age and the youngest in my class and I was very shy and insecure. We had picked up a few other kids on the little bus but when Denise got on the bus I almost burst into tears because I was so happy to see her. It was a neighbor girl who lived about five miles from my house and I had no idea she and I were going to be in the same grade. We hugged each other and held hands walking into class that day. She was always my protector because I never stood up for myself. I honestly don't remember anything about class though. That was 35 years ago!!!
ReplyDeleteAmy-
DeleteI think it is so great that you had a friend to make you feel comfortable and safe. I still have friends that I grew up with, only a few but those who have stuck with me are my true friends. I think it is interesting that the things we remember most are the people not the concepts that we are taught. I think this is something that is important to remember when teaching younger students. The experiences the students have with you and their peers are going to make more of a mark and stick to the minds of these children more than the material you teach them.
Christine Moses
My earliest recollection of school is about 3rd grade. This recollection of school is a not so good one as I was home sick from school and returned the next day only to find that everyone attended an assembly about health and received a lunch pale. Unfortunately my teacher did not get me a lunch pale so I was literally the only student is school that did not have one. To this a little third grade that was pretty devastating.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's things like lunch pails mean the most to students. Being remembered even when we are sick is important.
DeleteShame on your teacher for not getting you a lunch pail!! Like Rashawna said, it is often the little things like having a lunch pail like everyone else has that means the most.
DeleteMy earliest memory of school was of pre-school.There were only 3 of us at school the first year. I remember sitting around our desks and each having name tags tapped to them.I thought that was the coolest thing.
ReplyDeleteThe first time you sit down and realize that is your desk is pretty powerful. I also remember that once you were in the fourth grade you moved to the new building and got bigger desks. It was a great step up!
DeleteMy earliest memory was my first day of grade school. It was 1st-8th grade and I was nervous about being there with older students. I grew up with an older brother and some of his friends could be intimidating. It turned out that there was a program in place for older siblings to show us around and make us feel at home. It was a good day.
ReplyDeleteMy first actual memory of school was a traumatic one. I remember waiting outside my house in Long Island,NY for the bus that would take me to afternoon kindergarten. I was waiting with the neighbor kid when he decided to ride my bike up and down the street while we waited. While riding down the street, he began to turn around, but as he did, a car that was speeding around the corner ran over him, injuring him seriously. He would make a full recovery, but this is all I can remember from my first school memory, atleast at this age. I don't recall whether this was my actual first day, but I know it was at the beginning, because it was still very warm out.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad first memory of school! I am so sorry!
DeleteMy earliest memory of school was when I went to preschool for the first time. I lived in Hays with my mom. I remember the classroom more then anything. I remember the kitchen area and I liked to play there. One particular memory I remember my teacher sitting with me at a table and testing me. We sat at a table by a puppet stand. The classroom had high ceilings and lots of windows. That is basically all that I remember. My daughter is in preschool now. I hope she will have good memories!
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school was when I went to preschool. I remember that I was terrified that my mom was leaving me there forever. I would never play with anyone while I was there. I would sit outside closest to the gate and wait for my mom for what seemed like forever. In the classroom I would just sit by myself thinking that my mom wasn't coming back for me. I think that I felt this way because my mom had always been a stay at home mom and I didn't know any different. I just could not understand why she was taking me there and just leaving me.
ReplyDeleteCharelle,
DeleteReading your post made me want to cry! I can't imagine feeling like that. My mom was also a stay at home mom but I spent a lot of time at different relatives houses and often spent the night with them so all of cousins, etc. could play together. My sister that was 3 years older than me was scared to death to even stay at a relative's house overnight because she thought mom would leave her there. I don't know why the two of us were so different in our thought processes since we were treated the same by our parents. Those traits also carried through into our adult lives. I have always been independent and started traveling (even outside the U.S.) by myself in my late teens and early twenties. My sister and I are now in our 50's, and she still doesn't like going anywhere by herself.
Becky
Hi Becky,
DeleteI tend to agree with you that it can carry over into your adult lives. Til this day, I hate going place on my own and venturing out past my comfort zone. I don't think it has anything to do with my mom being a stay at home mom, but rather just my personality. I am not a very outgoing person and it takes a while for people to break down the walls that I tend to put up.
Charelle
My earliest memory of school is of going to my first day of kindergarten. We lived in the country 18 miles from town so we rode the bus. When we got to school my big brother (two years older) took my hand and walked me to my classroom. I remember I had my backpack and a pink pillow with white flowery swirls for naptime. The pillow also had a small ribbon loop sewed onto it at one corner so that I could hang it on my hook in the classroom. I have no idea what I learned my first day of school, but I remember my pillow vividly. And that I was scared, but glad I got to go to school like my brother.
ReplyDeleteStacie,
DeleteWhen I was in elementary school, kindergarten was only half days and we even took naps. Even though it has been 34 years since I was in kindergarten, I can still vividly picture my rug that mom let me pick out to take to school for my naps. It was a two-tone purple striped rug. I find it amazing that I can't remember what I ate for breakfast today, but I can remember that rug so well!
Becky
My earliest memory of school is a particular day in kindergarten when we had our first fire drill. We had already learned what to do when there was a fire drill, but when the alarm went off, one of my classmates “freaked out”, grabbed his box of personal stuff, and took off running out of the building and down the street as fast as his little legs could carry him. My kindergarten teacher was an older lady who always wore a dress and high heels. I can remember her taking off chasing after “M” in her high heels as he ran down the street screaming and crying. My teacher later explained to all of us why “M” had taken off. He and his family had recently had an explosion and fire at their house that completely blew the roof off of their house and the fire drill scared him to death. He even grabbed his supplies because he had lost most of his personal belongings at home in the fire. My classmates and I still like to tease “M” about that day when we get together at class reunions, etc.
ReplyDeleteBecky
Oh my goodness! At first I was cracking up until I saw why he was running. Then I felt really bad for his family and him. Now that I am done reading this I'm not sure if I should cry or laugh...
DeleteI was also cracking up, especially picturing an elderly kindergarten teacher in high heels and a dress running after M. And after reading why M ran, in his shoes, I would probably have done the same thing. I hope he is a good sport about the teasing.
DeleteMy earliest memory of school was when I was in Kindergarten. Everyday we would have naptime and then we would get up and have graham crackers and milk. On this particular day, the teacher picked me to use the wand to wake everyone up from naptime. I was so excited to be chosen, but also because as I was walking around in my new red, white, and blue sandals, waking everyone up, my older sister walked by, saw me and waved. I even got to help pass out the milk that day. Still makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteI loved your memory! I is so nice to have such a small experience mean so much to us! I think it was also great your older sibling came and waved to you. I remember when I was little I wanted to be around my brother all the time! He used to get so annoyed because I was the annoying little sister but now we are best friends. It is so amazing how little things can really make an impact on our lives! =]
DeleteChristine Moses
My earliest memory I can recall from school was being in Mrs. Bliese's class at O'Loughlin Elementary school playing with the sand/water table in the classroom the first day of class and getting water all over my dress and crying. haha! That was also the day I learned there was a bathroom in our classroom. SWEET!
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school was all the way back to Kindergarten. I remember sitting around a hug circle of squares with the alphabet in each square that was placed on the floor. We would sing I know and old lady who swallowed a fly and eat graham crackers and drink milk. After we were done, we would get out nap rugs and take a nap. I remember always having a hard time falling asleep. I don't think I would have the same problem now :)
ReplyDeleteI don't remember a circle or carpet like you do. I remember little desks and having them in straight lines. I also remember the naps on the rugs that we had to bring from home and the grahm crackers and milk. We only attended a half day class yet still had to have a 'rest' break. I hated nap time also due to I was not sleepy. It sounds like you do have some fond memories of school. WOW for me that was a long time ago!!
DeleteThe earliest, complete memory I have was in first or second grade. I went to a small Christian school (Pre-K - 12th) where my dad was the principal. Due to this, I knew all the teachers, most of the students, and they all knew me. On Valentines day my class was lining up to go to lunch and some high school students came in. One of the boys started singing "You are my Sunshine" and handed me a paper heart. I remember seeing my dad hiding in the shadows, and the big smile he had on his face.
ReplyDeleteAww, That is so sweet. I bet having your dad in the school made you feel so much more safe and secure. Was he with you in the upper grades? If so did that change how you felt about having your dad at school with you?
DeleteThis is a difficult bog for me. I was never sent to “school” because my parents homeschooled me from K-12 so there was never a defining moment in my childhood that I remember school starting. It was not a formal or regular even but rather scheduled around all of the farm life work.
ReplyDeleteI do however remember the first day of collage. I had never taken notes, sat at a school desk, listened to a lecture or asked questions of a teacher. I was terrified, I wanted to quit before I even got started. I was convinced that I was too far behind to ever catch up and be successful. My parents had not seen the importance of many areas of education so they were simply not taught. I had never written a paper, done algebra, or even knew what statistics was. I was so fortunate that my first advisor saw the potential in me and would not give up. It was a very hard first semester, okay first 4 semesters, but then I seemed to gain the confidence and desire to be successful. In 2008 I was the first person in my family (including 1st cousins) to earn a college degree when I earned my B.S in management. Now I am only short student teaching and I will have my second degree. I am so grateful for those first teachers that held my hand and kept me on track those first two years. Had it not been for them I would have ran away so fast there would have been no turning around.
Wow that was somewhat depressing to write about!
Wow, you had to overcome a lot of obstacles when you went to school! Your desire must've been very strong. It's too bad you didn't have access to some of those same advantages that your classmates would have had. I honestly can't even imagine! My college roommate homeschooled as well, and she took a few years off before going back to college. She was very wise, and the only thing that ever really threw her was the math. Congrats on graduating!
DeleteThat is awesome that you became your own individual and created the future that is right for you. What an accomplishment to take that step and put yourself through college, not once, but twice. I don't think that is depressing at all, but rather inspiring for many! I view it as courageous. Thank you for sharing :)
DeleteThanks to those teachers who helped you get up and moving in college. That is exactly the kind of teacher I strive to be. This experience will help you to help your students. I believe we can learn from all of our experiences, good and bad, and use them to impart knowledge on others and help them with the experiences we have gained. I wish you much luck in the future and congratulate you for how far you have come.
DeleteMy earliest memory is my first day of preschool. I lived right down the street from the school so mom walked me there and as soon as I walked in the classroom and saw an unfamiliar teacher and kids I didn't recognize I immediately started crying and screaming and wouldn't let go of my mom. It took 10 minutes or so for me to calm down and once I started playing with one of my friends I instantly made a 180 degree turn and wasn't the same child. it was like I had forgotten about mom and was all of a sudden excited.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that all children have separation issues when it comes to those first days of school. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's harder on the parents than it is the child. It sounds like you did great with the transition into school, and it didn't take long at all. I know some children who have cried everyday for the first few weeks. Although, once they get over that fear, leaving your mom is no problem at all. good post!
DeleteMy first memory of school is from the early spring of the kindergarten year. All the students in my class were doing a play based on Nursery Rhymes and I was in a cardboard cutout of sheep, with packing peanuts glued in neat, orderly rows. I was sitting off to the side waiting my turn and my neighbor started picking off my packing peanut "wool." I was livid and got "the" look from my teacher when I hit the boy and yelled at him. Frustrated, I sat there, wiggling and turning, while this little terror continued to ruin the costume that belonged to the teacher and not me, knowing the whole time that I would be held responsible for the damage. Then I got bored. And I saw these packing peanuts all over the floor. And then I got an idea - that I could rub the packing peanut on the sole of my shoe and get packing peanut shavings. Would they look like snow? The answer is YES! They did look like snow!! Oddly enough, the packing peanut warmed up when rubbed on the bottom of shoe my very quickly. I wondered why? I had done several of these and so had the nightmare sitting next to me, when my teacher spotted ME. Not us, of course, just ME. She scolded me in front of the entire class about pulling off the peanuts, ruining the costume, and then yelled at me for making a mess as well. I was nearly in tears and incredibly angry. She wouldn't let me explain what had happened - just that I was responsible for it all. I had to clean up the shredded peanuts which I did through repressed tears and then wrote an apology letter to the teacher, I also owed recess that day, and was sent to sleep at nap time by myself in the corner as well (which was fine by me). When I got home, I had another surprise waiting for me - the teacher had taken time to call my psychopathic mother and let her know about my "complete disregard for another's property." I never got in trouble with a teacher ever again.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in preschool we would have a snack everyday. One day it was someones birthday and we got cupcakes. Mine was chocolate with white frosting and sprinkles I think. There was a fly that kept buzzing around my head and I was wiggling around and trying to shoo it away. Then... it landed right on my frosting. I was very grossed out that a bug touched my food. When I told the teacher I needed a new one and what happened, she told me it would be fine and I should eat my cupcake anyway. I was so unsure about eating it. I just kept thinking okay this cupcake looks amazing but a nasty bug just violated it... haha I ended up eating it anyways. I still hate fly's.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memories of school are from preschool and there are a lot! I don't know which was the earliest as weather in California is pretty temperate. I remember playing on the playground (on swings!) singing playground songs - "Cinderella dressed in yellow, went upstairs to kiss a fellow..." But one of my favorite memories was on my birthday getting to bring in treats! My teacher(one of the best ever!) Ms. Tammy, had me sit at the head of the table and everyone sang "Happy Birthday." I was very excited because my mom had let me pick out a cake from the Betty Crocker cookbook and she made it just for school! It had blue frosting and looked like a tic tac toe game on the top - using M&Ms to make the lines, x's and o's. To be honest, I don't remember any other birthdays from my first years in school, even though I know their were other celebrations.
ReplyDeleteBirthdays are so fun to celebrate, especially at school with all of your friends. You mentioned singing playground songs. This is something that I don't hear school kids reciting much nowadays. It's neat to think back to all of the little sayings we had back in the day. Good post!
DeleteMy first memory is of being able to sit in this huge red Clifford chair that my teacher always kept in the corner of the kindergarten classroom. It was so soft and comfortable, it was where everybody wanted to sit while we were reading our books, or doing certain lessons on the floor. It was a great privilege to be allowed to sit in the big red chair. The teacher would keep track of our behavior this way, this was our positive reinforcement for acting appropriately. You just felt so important and on top of the world to be able to sit there. It sounds so silly now, but I remember this quite distinctly. It really had a positive impact on all of us kids.
ReplyDeleteI have a similar memory of first grade. Our teacher had one of those old claw-foot bathtubs that she had painted red with yellow stars and filled with several soft, fluffy pillows in our classroom. During reading time, one child could sit in the comfy bathtub to read. She used it the same way your teacher used the Clifford chair.
DeleteMy earliest memory of school was that I was sick the first day of kindergarten and very upset because my parents wouldn't let me go. I then remember that on the 2nd day of school my dad walked me into the school. I remember holding his hand in the big entry way and thinking this place is huge. I don't remember actually being taken to the room, just the huge entry way that was as high as the 2nd floor. The next memory I have is being made to lay down for nap time with my blanket and looking up at all the other kids' pictures of shoes showing they had learned to tie their shoes and wanting so badly to get one up there for myself. I went home that evening and made my parents teach me how to tie my shoes. I practiced all evening long. The next day I went to school and first thing I did was tie my shoe for my teacher and got my shoe put up on the wall with all the others. I was so proud.
ReplyDeleteI really like your memory. Starting school even a day late can make a child feel like they are behind all the other children.
DeleteMy earliest memory of school occurred during preschool. I remember our teacher reading "Are You My Mother?" during story time. I loved the book, but I didn't like the way our teacher told it. I remember that she didn't smile very often.
ReplyDeleteDuring preschool, I also had to go to speech therapy, because of a speech impediment. My speech therapist was so wonderful! She always spoke to me in a kind manner. She never made me feel like a stupid little girl who couldn't speak correctly. I always felt like what I said during our sessions truly mattered to her.
I didn’t go to preschool or kindergarten because we had moved a few times and kindergarten wasn’t required back in my day. I remember being behind most of 1st grade so I couldn’t wait until recess each day. Playing games like red rover, kick ball or dodge ball was what I remember most. I remember getting paddled a lot for talking, getting out of my seat and pestering others in 1st grade. I think I was starving for attention because my parents got divorced that year and my dad moved away. My teacher, Miss White was very strict but for some reason I liked making everyone laugh and that made her mad so I got the paddle almost every day.
ReplyDeleteBill – It is amazing how much has changed in our school systems over the years. I know several students now days who are also dealing with family issues. I think it is a teacher’s job to know what is going on in their student’s lives. Thank you for sharing your first memories with us.
DeleteSo I have to know, did you hate being in her class because she was so strict or did you respect her for having and enforcing rules??
DeleteMy earliest memory is from 2nd grade the day my dad dropped me off after I got glasses. I was so scared that my friends were going to make fun of me for having to get glasses. My teacher was so excited to see my new glasses for the first time, she took me to the front of the class and talked about how beautiful my new glasses were and make me feel so special that I had something no one else in my class did.
ReplyDeleteIt is the way we react to our students that make a difference! We need to remember to take the time to make special memories for our students!!
DeleteMy earliest memory is from preschool. Since I am the oldest child of my family, my parents spent a lot of time reading to me and with me before my siblings were born. I believe that one on one time with my parents gave me a great head start as I began school. Anyway, there was one day in preschool that my teacher had pulled me aside and put a book in front of me. I can't remember what the title of the book was, but I do remember that it was about a butterfly. She just instructed me to do by best at reading it. I had no problem reading the book, She was so proud of me that she even wrote a note on an evaluation paper saying I had read a book that day! I definitely give a lot of credit to my parents for reading to me when I was little. I want to be able to give my kids the same attention and help them get off to a great start with reading.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that we see the things our students have the potential to do and acknowledge it - it obviously leaves a lasting impression.
DeleteMy mom was a first grade teacher, so I was very familiar with the district and the teachers. My first memory is remembering that I finally got to go to school with my mom and not to day care!! I remember running up the sidewalk, so excited to go to kindergarten that I forgot to give my mom a kiss and a hug. I remember looking back at my mom (because I had run ahead of her) and she was crying. I remember feeling sad for my mom because she was going to miss me, but I remember being so excited to take on kindergarten!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe earliest memory I have of school comes from writing letters in kindergarten. We had been writing a different letter everyday to become familiar with the alphabet. The day came when it was time to draw the letter "E." I was working on my lower case "e" and managed to draw what was considered the prefect "e." It had a straight crossbar, sharp corner, and uniform curve. The teacher saw my letters and held them up to show the class the proper way to write them. Her positive acknowledgement made a lasting impression and boosted my confidence in her class. It makes sense that the memory has stuck with me considering positive reinforcement can have a great impact on a student.
ReplyDeleteI like that your memory comes from a positive feedback you had from a teacher. This just goes to show how important the way us educators handle every situation. We can either leave a negative imprint on a child or as in your case a very positive one that stuck with you into adulthood!
DeleteI agree with Karyn! We have a lot of power as an educator and remembering that one thing we say or do can change a child's life is so important. Our words, actions, and body language can speak volumes to a student and we can empower them to do their very best we if we choose what we do wisely.
DeleteMy first memory of school is actually my first day of kindergarten. I was so excited to go to school. My mom walked me to the school and to the classroom door. I walked in and was surrounded by a group of children I did not know. There were many girls and they were all clustered in a group. I did not go to them because I had not played with any of them before. A boy that I knew came into the classroom and I walked over to him and said hi and I remembered I smiled at him. I was so happy to see someone that I knew. I was still very anxious because of not knowing anyone else. Of course the boy walked of to the boy section and left me standing there. I remember the teacher then told us to sit in certain desks. I did not like being there and wanted to go home. I did not cry, however I felt so alone and isolated. I wanted my mom! I don't remember much else except how happy I was when I got back home. I did not want to go back and told my mom that.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school is my first day of Kindergarten. I can remember my mom and dad dropping me off for my very first day of school. I had to line up against the wall just outside of the school with my other classmates. It was there I met my friend Daniel.
ReplyDeleteEven from the earliest moments of our lives we can meet people who will stay with us forever. I moved immediately after my kindergarten year, but I still talk to those friends on a regular basis that I had when I was in kindergarten.
DeleteMy earliest memory of school is also my first day of kindergarten in Tribune, Ks. The room was so crowded because all of the parents were hesitant to let their babies go. In particular, Chip’s mom (a child that attended my mom’s home daycare) had her video camera out the whole entire time until Mrs. Mischler told her that Chip would be ok and that she could leave. There was also a big bulletin board, where all took pictures in front of to commemorate our first day of school. After we got our pictures taken, we were then told to find out name tags on our desks. They were in the shape of a rectangle so we could see all of our classmates. My mom wasn’t able to take me because she couldn’t leave all of the daycare kids at home, but she did take a picture of all us before we left. There were six of us in kindergarten who went to my mom’s daycare. I can imagine I was somewhat scared, but it helped a lot that I was going to school with the kids that I saw every single day.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school would have to be at La Petite Academy Pre-School in Wichita, KS. At that time my parents were divorced and I lived with my mother. My father lived out of town so I didn't get to see him much. My earliest memories are of him picking me up from school and how excited I always was to see him. I remember one specific time when he showed up to surprise me and my teachers woke me up from my nap and he was standing there. Through out my childhood I never got to see him as much as I would like so I'm guessing that's probably a good reason why that this is my earliest memory.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school was the first day of Kindergarten. I remember my teacher Mrs. Harrison she had the prettiest braided hair! I remember being nervous, but so excited. We sat on the rug to start our first morning. I sat between two girls clinging to my lunch box for safety. I remember saying "hi", and the two girls introducing themselves. The one girl Sara and I stayed friends until 5th grade when she moved, and the other girl Shannon, we are still best friends to this day!
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory of school was my first day of preschool at Topeka Lutheran. I walked in and most of the kids were already eating breakfast but it was so quiet because all of us were so scared. While we were eating the teacher called us over to her desk one at a time with our parents and they told us that we were getting ready to go out to recess. We all got excited and then while we were going outside our parents said goodbye and we didn't care cause we were going to play. I was so scared to begin with but our teacher was so nice and made everyday so much fun that everyone was always in a good mood it seemed like. I had so much fun and learned a lot of different things that I still remember.
ReplyDeleteOne of my earliest memories of school takes me all the way back to Kindergarten, and I have to admit, it doesn't reflect very positively on me. I was kind of a pill when I was young. As an only child with a stay at home mom, I wasn't around other kids much, so school was a huge adjustment for me. Our teacher had shaved her son's head before the first day of school, and I had never seen a bald child before that day. We were sitting in a circle, and she told him to sit by me. I was apalled. While my classmates thought he looked cool, and all of the boys were saying that they wished they were bald too, I thought it was gross. I realize now that my reaction should have been more diplomatic, but with my limited social skills, I refused to sit beside him because he didn't have any hair. Wow, not nice, but it has made me a better mother because I do try to explain to my son why it is important to be nice to everyone even if they look different.
ReplyDeleteI doubt the teacher took it personal, I am sure she realized that you just didn't know any better. I have found working in a school for several years now that sometimes children just are not aware of how their words and actions can hurt others. Little people especially sometimes are just not aware they could hurt others feelings. More and more I see educators having to also educate students in social skills. I'm not sure why this role has happened, I have a ton of theories, but it's defiantly there and something to remember. I think it's great that you took that memory and made sure to teach your children that differences were ok.
DeleteMy first school memory that I can remember very well was in Kindergarten and was actually the first time I ever got in trouble in school. I think we had just got back from recess, and we were putting things away in our lockers. The girl that I was next to annoyed me frequently. She must have pushed my buttons wrong that day even more so because I told her to "shut up." She proceeded to tell on me, and I was ordered to go put my head on my desk. I think I had to apologize to her, but that's about the extent of that memory.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how bad things stick out. When I first read this assignment one of my first memories that popped into my head was being in kindergarten and standing up working. When I went to sit down I fell to the floor and hit my head on the chair, the boy next to me had pulled it back so I would fall. I was mortified, I can remember all the kids laughing. To this day when I see that young many I find myself flash to that memory.
DeleteI have a few memories of my time in pre-school, but most of those involve playing not learning and nothing really specific stands out, just random times playing outside (I did love their playground equipment) and this great kitchen set we got to play with. I also recall one Halloween my teacher dressing as snow white and she looked just like her.
ReplyDeleteMy first day of kindergarten sticks out in my head, I remember walking to school with my mom, we lived a half a block away and when we got closer to the cross walk I told her to stop that I didn't need her I could do it myself. I remember being excited going into my classroom and how cool it was that my teacher had a rabbit in the room. Then I recall being very upset as we were trying to learn new things and many in the class kept crying because they missed their parents. I recall thinking that was so weird because we were gong to see them soon and I wanted to learn.
I also remember my mom walking me into the classroom, but luckily I don't remember any of the other students crying. We only had half day kindergarten so I am sure that helped
DeleteMy earliest memory of school was in kindergarten. I remember learning my first letter of the alphabet, it was the letter S. We were all setting on the rug singing the ABC song. Then after the song out teacher asked us what sound the S made. Of course we all knew. Then she got out this letter man. She blew up the letter man and clothes pinned it to a wire. Each week we learned a new letter and each week there was a letter man to hang up.
ReplyDeleteMy very first memory of school was my first day of kindergarten. I remember getting ready for school and wearing a new outfit. My older sister was a fourth grader when I started school and I remember being so happy that she would be there if I needed her. I also remember crying when my parents dropped me off because I was going to miss my parents and my baby brother. My teacher gave me a big hug, had me put my backpack in my locker, and had me sit with a group of kids. One of my better memories of my first day of school was meeting two new girls who I still consider close friends. Those are really the only things I remember from the first day. I loved kindergarten and really think my positive experience shaped how I feel about school to this day.
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory about school is from Kindergarten. My kindergarten teacher was my aunt and it was her first year teaching. I remember the last couple weeks of summer my Mom and aunt trying to get me to call her Mrs. Gillespie as opposed to Aunt Heidi. All summer I refused to call her Mrs. Gillespie but on the first day of school I started to call her Mrs. Gillespie. I've always found this funny because my Mom is also a teacher but I didn't have her until high school and all throughout high school I called her Mom and not Mrs. Poskey. So as a kindergartner I called the teacher by the proper name but in high school I didn't.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that sticks out from Kindergarten is that I loved counting numbers and math. I counted twice as far as any other students in my class. It is funny because as I got older math was my least favorite subject and the one with which I struggled the most.
I think it is so interesting to see how many of us remember specific things from our kindergarten classes and how much those young teachers really shaped our lives. It was fun to read about everyone's experiences and learn what stuck to people and how certain experiences and people really made the difference. I also found it interesting that not many people stated they remember much about the actual content from the younger grades but that it was more about people.
ReplyDeleteChristine Moses