Sunday, September 19, 2010

School Days

Fall reminds me of school - buying school clothes, getting new school supplies, worrying about who my teacher was going to be, and if I would have any friends in my room. Everything always worked out. My teachers thru junior high were great. I liked every single one of them but some were really special.

My first grade teacher at Brevard Primary was Mamie Dale. She was Freeman Hayes' sister and looked just like him. She was an extraordinarily sweet woman and ideally suited for starting kids on their academic journey. I hadn't been to any kind of pre-school so school was all new to me. Judy Mims was the first friend I made in the real world and guess what - we reconnected as adults and are still friends.

When I moved over to Brevard Elementary, my favorites were Josephine Clayton and Maxine Whitmire, lovely women and great teachers. Both were from local families. In junior high, I liked Mrs. Dellinger. She was young, attractive, and kinda cool. Her husband worked at the radio station which added an extra layer to her coolness.

My class was in the new high school building for only one year so I didn't have time to develop loyalty to it. When I think of high school, it's always in the old building. I see Brownie Cabe hanging around all day, Peggy Jackson's tiny, little Nash car parked out front, the Chatterbox across the street, the football field next door, and the do-nut shop up the street. Of all the teachers I had in high school, the most memorable (in the good way) was Mrs. Tilson. I had her for Freshman, Sophomore, and Advanced Algebra. She was smart, funny, and an outstanding teacher.

This post is about your memories from school - teachers, classes, friends, activities, whatever you remember. Many of you went to other schools in the county and at different times. We want to hear about those memories too.

Comments have declined significantly with recent postings. Comments are essential to keep the blog going. It can't survive without input. If you've been commenting, keep it up. If you haven't left a comment, now's the time.

Everybody went to school! Everybody has memories!

Go Blue Devils!

6 comments:

  1. This topic is so dear to my heart. I remember all the teachers I had through the years in the Brevard School System. The majority of those who taught me, I liked. I think that my first grade teacher, Mrs. Rufty, really frightened me, though. I remember her whacking me on my back with a ruler for talking, when I wasn't talking!
    I know who was talking, but I didn't say anything. I didn't tell my parents because I felt that I shouldn't ever let the family know.

    I also remember being in the fourth grade. Mrs. McMinn was my teacher, and her class was on the highest floor. I was so scared about the fire escapes when we would have a fire drill. I am still afraid of heights.

    My memories of school go on and on, and I will share more soon.

    I do hope others will start posting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You just brought back a funny "episode" in Mrs. Tilson's class one day. I'm sure I had her frustrated, to say the least, by my antics. She turned to me and said, "Connie, I expect to see you some day on TV as a great comedian!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. I did not begin school in Brevard, &, because of my birthday falling later in the fall, I began school really a year later than I should have. When I came to Brevard, I was not too happy with my teacher. She smacked me on the butt for having my legs in the chair(the only so-called spanking I ever received in school).
    I remember Mrs. Hall in grammer school. I really loved her. I remember Mr. Rufty, of whom I was quite scared. He seemed to be hell-bent on punishing my brother for something on a fairly regular basis!
    I had Mrs. Andrews for 3 straight years. The Freshman year of high school, I had signed up for General Math. On the very first day of school, she came into Mr. Galloway's math class, jerked me out of my chair, marched me to the principal's office, & had my schedule changed from Galloway's class to her class! General Math was going to be an easy class that year, but she wasn't about to let me get away with that! She was a tough teacher, but she gained my respect!
    I never skipped school until Mrs. Andrew's 7th-grade class. A friend & I decided we wouldn't return to school after lunch so took off to "unknown" places. Mrs. Andrews called my Mom, & I really got it BAD when I went home that afternoon. My Mom marched me up to Mrs. Andrews early the next morning &, as I hung my head in shame, I had to apologize to her for "skipping" school. That taught me a VERY important lesson--NEVER EVER skip school, & I never did it again. In fact, I loved school so much that one year, when I had contracted red measles, I sneaked away from home & went to school. I sat outside the windows of my class wanting so desperately to be in there with the other students. I finally returned home, got back into my "sick" bed, & Mama never found out what I had done! That was about the one and only time I ever fooled my Mama!!
    In Home Ec. class under Mrs. Burrell, we all had to make a skirt (among other things). I was very skinny in those days &, with a little instruction from my Mom, I got the skirt made & was so proud of it. Only problem was that I had made it so small, even my skinny body wouldn't fit into it!! Embarrassed! We also made an apron (back in those days Mothers always wore aprons in the kitchen). I made such a pretty one I gave it to my Mama. I found it some years ago when I had to clean out Mama's home. I still have it!
    I could go on and on about school days--the awful experience I had in gym class, music lessons with Charlie Glass, working in the high school library--so many memories. I cried when I graduated from BHS because I didn't want to leave school. Such HAPPY memories!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am with you on leaving BHS.....I didn't want to leave either, Connie. Those were the Golden Years, and they went by TOO fast!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mr. Kimzey's (and Mrs. Kimzey's)great-granddaughter is in the after-school program in which I work. Today she sat on my lap and read her reading assignment (lst grade). I let my mind go back to the mid-50's. Would I have ever believed that in 2010 I would be listening to the Kimzeys' great-granddaughter read? Time often has a connecting thread, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  6. yeah, I remember Brevard in the 50's and 60's. The black kids had to bus to Hendersonville to attend school, we got a brand new high school. To see a movie they had to sit in the balcony at the Clemson and Coed theaters.

    ReplyDelete