School Archives
Learning Phonics Will today's reminiscence stir up the flames of controversy? I hope not, because I Remember JFK should be a comfortable place to slip off one's shoes and enjoy a little pleasant time-traveling. My mother was a schoolteacher who was raised by a schoolteacher. She didn't tolerate anything but hard effort...
Air Raid Drills Kids have things to worry about now, for sure. In the 50's and 60's, we didn't know what ozone was. Global warming? Never heard of it. Gas stations were fighting to gain the business of our parents, not putting surly clerks behind bulletproof glass to sell them fuel at per-gallon...
Being a Cub Scout When I was eight years old, I managed to convince my thrifty father that I needed to be a Cub Scout. The lure was irresistible. After all, I had spent two entire years at Nichols School in Miami, Oklahoma watching older kids parade around in their Cub Scout uniforms. The...
Lessons Learned on the Playground When the recess bell would ring in 1967, thus would begin a mad dash by students weary of classwork out of the classroom and towards the most desirable piece of playground equipment: the swing set. There are still many school swing sets like that which continues to exist at Nichols...
Praying In School Wow. You want to see a hornet's nest of opinions? Try typing "praying in school" into Google. However, this site is subtitled A Baby Boomer's Pleasant Reminiscing Spot. Ergo, no controversy here. No, instead, I offer a peaceable remembrance of when prayer was a part of school, and nobody really...
The Last Day of School! This is a memory that every kid shares, regardless of generation. The last day of school was a rush for all involved. Kids loved it because it meant three months of freedom. Teachers loved it for the same reason. But kids had the additional bonus of going up a grade...
The Paddle Hanging by the Chalkboard At the risk of inciting the wrath of the PC police, today's memory is about the paddle that hung by the chalkboard, and the discipline it inspired. I was a class clown. No, let me rephrase that. I was THE class clown. Ergo, I was quite familiar with that wooden...
It Snowed! School's Canceled! There may well be many of you Boomers (and others) out there who can't relate to today's memory. The Floridians and Los Angelenos will shake their heads quizzically, as will Minnesotans, but for different reasons. Bear with me. Miami, Oklahoma (and my later homes in SW Missouri and NW Arkansas)...
Getting Tested for TB When you think about it, going to grade school during the 50's and 60's was downright hazardous! I mean back in those days, asbestos was a wonder substance for insulation that was used in our floor and ceiling tiles and insulation ubiquitously. Our schools were full of it! Not only...
Walking to School Is it just me, or are very few kids walking to school these days compared to when we Boomers grew up? The school situation in Bentonville, Arkansas has been whacked at least since my kids were in school. We've had a population explosion here for thirty years and perennially have...
Mimeograph Machines The Xerox copier made its debut in 1959, with the 914 model. It was a technological marvel that would scan a document, then spit out a nearly flawless copy. It was also very expensive, and school budgets being what they were (and still are), that meant that teachers who wanted...
Naptime in Kindergarten When we were kids, kindergarten was an option, not a requirement. And if our parents opted for it, it cost them cash. At least that's the way it was in Oklahoma. That's how I ended up going to Mrs. Abels' big yellow rock house every day. My mom, a schoolteacher,...
The Year We Went to School in the Dark The earlier Daylight Savings Time we experienced this year may have brought back memories of the year you went to school in the dark. A Mideast war had a domino effect that caused that particular memory for us one year. Here's how it went down: On October 6, 1973, Egypt...
Those Red Plaque Disclosing Tablets We Boomers in school were used to having our health enhanced, as well as our minds. For instance, in elementary school every year, a dental technician would show up with posters, free toothbrushes for all, and something ominous known as plaque detection tablets. The posters were scary, too. They would...
Filmstrips in School How did kids in school see the world in the 1960's? Frequently by means of film strips. Film strips were strips of 35 mm film that had positive images on them, much like movie film. However, it wasn't designed to be quickly run through the projector like a movie. No,...
Smallpox Vaccinations in School I think I was in the second grade. That would have been 1967/68. A nurse came to school and announced that we were getting smallpox vaccinations. "Now don't worry!" she exhorted us. "I'm just going to prick your skin. It won't hurt at all!" Turns out she spoke the truth....
The Big Chief Tablet The ritual was followed every August. You would reluctantly drag your still-in-a-summer-vacation-mood bones to the store with your mom and pick out the stuff you needed at the hated Back to School sale. The items would include soft lead pencils with enough heft to beat someone to death, a wooden...
My Weekly Reader Unfortunately, I can't remember which day it was. But one day each week, we received a delightful little four-page read in school: My Weekly Reader. Thanks to this fascinating little periodical, I knew the names of every astronaut who went into space between 1969 and 1972. In fourth grade, our...
You may use any images you find on my site on your own personal site. COPY the images to your own server, PLEASE. If you link directly, you will likely get a logo encouraging others to visit I Remember JFK instead of the graphic that you expected. In return, I request that you include a link back to I Remember JFK. Fair enough?
When Food Was Delivered on Roller Skates:
Going to a drive-in for a meal of burgers and fries was fun for a Boomer kid in a whole lot of ways. First of all, a hamburger, fries, and a shake tasted like heaven. Second, eating in the car was a blast. And thirdly, your food was deliverd by...
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