September 15, 2016- School Days

I didn’t feel like sitting in the waiting area of Dr. T’s office when I took Mike there for his appointment so I went across the street to Rahway Park.

   They are messing up this park now with a football field and parking area. Mike and I signed a petition against this but of course this didn’t work to stop it. This is upsetting to both of us.

    I ate my lunch then walked around the big pond. Our parents would bring us there to feed the ducks when we were kids. Did we ever do this walk then?

    Our grade school used to have their Field Days here. I always hated the sporting events like softball and track and field. We did stuff like tug-of war and three legged races too. Or was it sack races? Maybe both. Mike said that there was egg races also. The food was the only good thing about this event.

   Fourth grade was the best because of the camping trip. It might have been 3 days. I do still have the daily schedule of activities and the directions to that place, Camp Hoover. It was also our Girl Scout camp. Our teacher, Miss K, was my troop leader for a couple of years.

   We also made applesauce. We baked chocolate chip cookies for the nuns at the retirement home in Caldwell. We learned our state capitals. My Grandma at the farm helped me study for that test.

   I do have some bad memories of that place. Like a few incidents of humiliation. My 7^th grade teacher used my essay as an example of poor writing, withholding my name, of course. That was upsetting.

   I had trouble doing fractions and percentages in 3^rd grade. My neighbor had to tutor me in this. One day, Sister M. made me go up to the board to work on one such problem but I was unable to do so. She made me feel so ashamed then.

   Somehow, I was elected class president in 8^th grade, not that I really did much in that role. I did have to make an announcement in front of the class once. I got made fun of by one of my crushes which was very embarrassing.

    Sister J said that I had a big, fat head when measuring it for my 8th grade graduation cap.  This was upsetting then but later it was kind of amusing.

   Some of the good memories were our day trips. We went to Sandy Hook in 6^th grade, the World Trade Center in 7^th, and Great Adventure in 8^th. I think that Mom was a chaperone for the latter. I have been to that amusement park 4 times besides that, 3 with various family members.

   Was my visit to the Statue of Liberty with my class or Girl Scout troop? Mike went to Philly 2 times on his class trips. Why didn’t ours ever go there?

   I remember watching the very first launch of a space shuttle, the Columbia, in 6^th grade. We were in Miss M’s classroom.

   Mike doesn’t really have any fond memories of that school and definitely hated our high school as do I. My 30^th reunion is next year and I could care less. I never went to the other 2. I try not to think much about that place.

Rahway Park 1972

 

Camp Hoover

Camping Schedule

 

Sandy Hook