School Days back then

jujube said:
Some of the public schools have gone to uniforms here in our state..

My greatgranddaughter is in second grade and her school requires khaki bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts, skorts or jumpers) with the school polo shirt in one of three approved colors.

One Friday a month, they have "special" days....pajama day, sports attire day, inside-out or backward day, or just wear-whatever-you-want day.
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just to be clear for everyone..Public schools in the UK ..are private schools in the USA...(y)
 

There will come a time when there will be no schools (buildings) as we know it. Bus transportation has become very expensive, teacher’s salaries and benefits are huge and still growing, some athletic programs could bankrupt a school and more. I look for schooling to go 100% virtual. I do think colleges and universities have a longer shelf life.

My school district built a new 2-story school with an aquatic center and an outdoor athletic stadium and fields comparable to that of a major university all at the cost of nearly $100,000,000.00. The land alone cost $18,000,000.00. Schools in my area no longer own their own buses. Transportation is outsourced.

We have 21 districts in our county. Most have new buildings. One school that should be replaced is land locked, so they are considering tearing down the old building and build the new building on the existing spot. The project will take a year, so the kids will be taught at home virtually. As it is now, every kid in every district gets a new free laptop. If the project takes longer than a year, they would continue with virtual teaching.
 
During Covid, a lot of schools went "virtual".

My granddaughter was teaching high school biology and chemistry at a private school at the time and had to become a virtual teacher over the computer. It wasn't easy to teach chemistry virtually. Also, the two kids at home under the age of three didn't make it any easier. "....and if you combine thiside and thatside with theotheride, you get.......PUT THAT DOWN! ....and the chemical reaction is called..."GET YOUR SISTER OUT OF THE TOILET! NOW!!!"
 
I attended an elementary school built in the earlier 20th century. It featured very conventional whole class instruction with all student desks facing forward, the days beginning with a flag salute and Bible reading, and girls wearing dresses and boys pants (no jeans). The floors were wooden not carpeted, the windows large and non-insulated, and winter heat was provided by hot water radiators. There was a single large stand fan for cooling during hot weather.

We had cloakrooms, which were kind of a dismal small alley accessed by an open doorway but walled off from the classroom itself. In it, we kiddies hung our jackets and coats on hooks in season. Kids today seem to have lockers or cubbies for stashing outerwear…

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I went to catholic schools, in fact 4 different ones since 1949. I can remember they were dark and dismal, with the nuns not much better. I was always afraid of them seeing how cruel they were to students. My parents never hit us like they did. We never had heating or fans in the hot summers and uniforms uncomfortable.
Most classes had up to 34 students. We had sports day once a year. Physical culture on a Wednesday, with Mrs. Ferris playing the piano. Had to stand to attention every morning and march into class to the strains of Colonel Bogie on a gramophone. Never had a graduation ball, only sandwiches and a cordial orange juice made by the students in a lower class. It was the happiest day of my life when I walked out of that door never to return.
 
I started the day after Labor Day also and still have a strong resentment of Labor Day for that reason. They start much earlier now which doesn't make sense to me because of the heat but that does allow for a week off for the students in the fall.

My favorite teacher was my 2nd grade teacher , Mrs. Van Arsdale. She was the wife of the Dick Van Arsdale who was the Phoenix Suns first pick in the expansion draft so of course was very popular with all of the boys , plus she was very cute so was very popular with all of the dads...lol. My school was K-8 so all the kids were rather close with each other. There were of course the "cliques" but all of the different cliques got along.

My father got a job with the feds when I ended my 3rd grade so I went to a grade school in McLean Virginia for my 4th and 5th grade. That was a culture shock for me. The school was all enclosed and often had PE in a gym instead of outdoors and the kids tended to be a little snotty. We moved back to Phoenix when I was in 6th grade and I went back to my old school and I was treated like some brave explorer when I got back for about a week or two.

I wouldn't want to return back in time to those grade school years but I enjoyed those years. I never hated going to school but I did enjoy the long summer vacations :)
 
Pinky said:
Such a cutie back then .. and still are :)
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Thank you 😊. Now I am blushing like a second grader...lol. That does remind me of one thing I had forgotten about, the grade school dances. Waiting for the perfect song to come on to have a slow dance with that special girl. No bear hugging though !
 
1st Grade Tremont School in Selma, Alabama 1959
I'm lower right at the end of the table, white socks ...

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... and the individual 1st grade picture ...

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