Straightened Out

I really don't remember much about the first three grades of elementary school except for recess and lunch break. Me and my close friends couldn't wait until recess so we could go outside and play cowboys and Indians. When it rained and we couldn't go outside it was terrible. Of course everyone likes lunch hour.

I remember alot about fourth grade. Fourth grade was horrible. I hadn't paid attention in the first three grades and now in the fourth grade I had a teacher that expected me to know something. I knew a little bit but I didn't know the things I should have. I was an expert on cowboys and Indians but those subjects weren't covered in the curriculum.

My two sisters and brother, who had gone before me, were "brains" of the highest caliber. At least my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Cline, told me they were. She was always ridiculing me when I didn't know the answer to a question. She would go into a tirade and tell me, in front of the entire class, how I should know the material and how smart my brother and sisters were and how I should be smart like them. Instead of challenging me to do better she would just brough-beat me and embarrass me. She was mean! I hated her and I hated going to school. It just got worse and the fourth grade was a total disaster for me. Of course I passed the fourth grade and was promoted to the fifth grade at the end of the school year. You had to be a real moron and idiot not to pass from one grade to another where I went to school. And there were a couple of those in my class. I'm just glad I wasn't one of them.

The fifth grade was an entirely different story. My teacher, Mrs. Levy, for some reason took an interest in me and wanted to help me get on track and straighten out some of the bad academic habits I had developed. I never figured out why she thought I could be a good student. She had a meeting with my parents and called their attention to the fact that I was a horrible student. She told them she felt she could help me and would be glad to keep me after school each day for an hour for a few weeks and see what we could do together. When my parents told me the plan of action I panicked. I think I was more worried about staying after school for an hour and missing out playing with my friends. I also thought all my friends would be convinced that I was a real "dummy" and the teacher just had to keep me after school because I had been behaving badly.

I don't remember all the details but Mrs. Levy did straighten me out and helped me alot with academics. I guess she just had a great desire to teach students and saw a student who needed some help. I'm thankful she helped me. One of the greatest helps was the fact that she never compared me to my siblings and never embarrassed me in front of the class. She treated me like I was worth the effort on her part to help get me on the right adacemic path.

From that experience in the fifth grade I began to like school. I didn't always do so well but I at least tried. When I went to school the national grading system was E, S, M, I, and F. E stood for excellent, S was for superior, M stood for average, I was inferior, and of course F means failure in any language. Even after Mrs. Levy inspired me to do better I still got alot of M's, some I's, and once in a while I would get an F. I think I remember getting very few S marks and I don't ever remember getting an E until I got to high school.

Thanks Mrs. Levy wherever you are!