My First Day of School

It’s 1958 and I’m very excited to start this day as it’s my first day of school. 'Chrissy" my mother calls to me, "your breakfast is ready". I quickly ran to the table to find a bowl of oatmeal (lumpy), with milk and honey and a teaspoon next to the bowl with a one a day vitamin placed in the spoon so I wouldn’t forget to swallow it before I started eating.

I had three older sisters and they too were eating and getting ready for school. I would not be going with my sisters as my school was in a different location so Dad was going to drive me. Dad was always dressed in his Army uniform with very shiny shoes that we were taught to shine using his shoe shine Army kit.

After getting ready and Mom putting a lunch in a brown paper bag, it was time to start our journey to my new school. I started getting a little nervous and my stomach started aching, a case of the butterflies! Dad drove a Nash rambler and it looked like we were pulling into the school yard. Dad said "well here you are, now sit on the steps and wait for the other kids", I guess I was a little early. I complied and waited on the steps of the big brick building. Soon one bus then another started arriving but the kids getting off the buses were not my size they were much older. Now the teachers were arriving and assembling their students and lining them up when their names were called. The school bell rang and the kids all followed their teachers into the building. I was asked many times what my name was but I wasn’t on any of the lists. Now all the kids have disappeared into the big brick building and a man comes out and asks me my name and how old I was. I told him I was 5 and this was my first day of school. He then says, "honey my name is Mr. Brown and I am the principal here at this school". He then told me that I was at the wrong school but he would walk me to the right one. He took my little hand and we walked down the sidewalk to my school. He took me to my class where everyone was already sitting and Mrs. Mitchell, my teacher, greeted me with a hug. I was crying but soon found my place and settled in. Mrs. Mitchell was a very nice teacher and I loved it there. I made lots of new friends. Many of the kids in my class lived on the Army base where my family lived so we played together in the courtyards between the blocks of housing units. Dad now knew where to bring me or I would ride with a neighbor.