Weekend Assignment #267: On Tuesday, John and I will have been married to 30 years. If you're old enough to remember the late 1970s, please tell us what you were up to way back then. If not, pretend I asked about the late 1980s. If you're too young to that, I'll be very surprised, but go ahead and tell me about your life in the late 1990s!
After doing a little math, I figured out I was in 4th grade 30 years ago. It wasn't my best year in school. Not that I remember a whole lot, I just know that I got screwed with my teacher.
My brother is three years older than me, and when he was in fourth grade he loved his teacher. I guess she was really nice and helpful. So I was looking forward to it over the summer. Then the bad news came. That teacher left, but that wasn't the worst part. The replacement was my old nemesis from kindergarten.
I know what you're thinking (a little Magnum PI reference there for ya), how could I have a nemesis in kindergarten, let alone one who is a teacher. Let me just tell you, her and I didn't see eye to eye. We never got along. I don't know why, or what I did. She just had little patience for me, and, believe me, you needed patience with me. Actually, you still do.
I can't remember everything, but I do remember an incident involving a giant plastic egg, little bits of paper and glue. Then glue, everywhere. Then the teacher finishing my project for me. I guess I was too klutzy for her.
So, yeah, it wasn't the best thing for that year. I don't recall any major problems in fourth grade with the teacher, though. I just remember the dread I felt when I learned who the teacher was going to be.
If I may, let me skip ahead to later in 1979. The beginning of fifth grade was the exact opposite. I heard stories of the mean teacher from fifth grade. It wasn't looking good. I was terrified. But, I got lucky, as a new teacher came in that year, too.
It was a great set-up. He was just out of school, and not jaded and tired of kids yet. I think it was one of my favorite years of school. Really.
First off, he got us all to buy enough books through the Scholastic Book Club to get an 8-track player for the room. For you young ones out there, and 8-track was similar to a cassette, only much bigger and always had the best song on the album split up right in the middle. Seriously, the song would fade out, the player would change tracks, and it would fade back in. It was great! We listened to a lot of music during lunchtime. I brought in my sister's Cheap Trick At Budokan tape and my teacher really liked it.
Oh, and second, I set up my teacher with my older sister. What a matchmaker I was! I swear I didn't do it for a better grade. I was just being nice. Really!
Okay, I've gone off track enough. More stories about fifth grade later. Remind me to tell you about the kid who always wanted to give me a quarter to be his friend.
Extra Credit: What, in your opinion, was the best thing about the 1970s, if anything?
Um...bell bottoms? Feathered hair? Oh, I know, those giant combs that people used to carry in their back pockets. That was in the 70's, right?
So, what were you doing in 1979?
2 comments:
Giant combs! We called them "'fro picks." Political correctness wasn't a big thing yet in the '70's.
Do you ever miss 8-track tapes? Me neither. That fade-out/in thing they did was vastly annoying.
So, did anything happen with your sister and your fifth-grade teacher :-)?
Florinda: We did too, I was changing things up a little. :)
No, I don't miss 8 tracks. You could only fit 4 og them in your car anyway.
They only dated for a short time. I think they broke up after school was out. Good thing for me! :)
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