September 13, 2009
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4th grade
I have a daughter in fourth grade this year. When I dropped her off the first day of school, I thought back to my own fourth grade year. Fourth grade was a big year for me. We had just moved to a new town during the summer. My family was helping to plant a church in that town. So it was a new house, a new church and obviously a new school. Naturally, I was a little bit concerned about starting school with a bunch of kids that I didn’t know.
A few days before school started (maybe even the day before!!), my family and a family from our church were having dinner together. We were at their house. Dinner wasn’t quite ready to eat yet, so the kids were all outside playing in the yard. I don’t remember exactly what we were playing but I remember having a ball. The dads decided to have a little fun with the kids, so they took the ball away from us and were playing keep away. Eventually the two dads were throwing the ball over the house! So of course the kids were trying to get the ball back.. and laughing the whole time. It was a fun game. I was running full speed around the house trying to get the ball and another kid was doing the exact same thing, but we were running in opposite directions. It didn’t take long for the two of us running around the house to collide. The other kids was just slightly shorter than I was. His head smashed into my eye and we both went flying backwards. (we were running after all) He got up with a bump on his head and I got up with a black eye… that was huge!! I’m pretty sure it chipped my cheekbone actually. I can still feel that little divot of missing bone. It was painful, but not a huge deal, UNTIL I realized I would be starting a new school with a giant black eye. I was horrified! I worried about that for a long time. Turns out no one except me remembers that black eye. I’ve recently been in contact with some of my fourth grade classmates and not even one of them remembered that black eye.
What we ALL remember though is the epic fight that broke out in our classroom in fourth grade. I suppose that on occasions a fight is going to happen. It isn’t the greatest idea, but it happens. What was unusual about this fight in addition to it being in the classroom and not the playground was who was involved! There was a boy in our class named Jerry. He was usually a trouble maker. He could be nice if he wanted, but typically, he was just finding ways to get in trouble. We had a substitute teacher one day. I’m sure the regular teacher left a note and put the names of the kids that were to be watched and the names of the kids that could help if needed. With a sub in the room, you can bet that there were kids trying to get away with everything. I remember sitting at my desk doing my work and hearing something that made me look up. I noticed everyone in the class was looking at the same thing I was looking at. The substitute had something in her hand that Jerry wanted. Maybe a pencil, maybe something else… I don’t know. But Jerry wanted it. So Jerry grabbed her hand and tried to take it away from her. There was this struggle between teacher and student. Pushing and grabbing at whatever was in her hand. Then hair pulling and yelling. I’m sure my eyes were as big as saucers. This kid in my class was having a fight with a teacher!!! What in the world?! She managed to break contact with Jerry and sent him to the office to tell the principal what he had just done. And then, my heart stopped. I know it did. She called MY name and told me to follow Jerry and make sure he went to the office and told on himself. As one of my former classmates said, “She sent little Donna. The smallest kid in the class who might have weighed 42 pounds soaking wet to follow Jerry to the office!” I’m pretty sure I weighed more than 42 pounds, but I can tell you I was scared to death. Jerry was already pretty angry. He’d just gotten into a fight with a teacher and had to go to the office. I snuck down the hall and prayed Jerry wouldn’t turn around. I peeked over the banister as he went down the stairs to the office and watched him turn to go in. I did not follow him! I ran back to class and went back to my seat.
Strangely, none of my classmates has any other memory of fourth grade except that fight. Every single one of us remembers it in detail. I was just glad no one remembered my black eye!
What do you remember about 4th grade?
Have a happy day!!!
Comments (6)
My nephew just started middle school with a black eye, also caused by running into someone else’s head. One of my daughters started middle school with 3 of her top front teeth missing due to a bike accident.
I didn’t like 4th grade because we studied long division, and I just couldn’t understand it. My teacher’s name was Miss. Parmlee, and mid-year she got married and became Mrs. Amundsen. That’s all I remember.
I remember my teacher was Mrs. Thompson, and for some weerd reason I wantd to try out for the band … wanted to play a clarinet but there were too many so I had to do the flute … and hated it.
I posted a picture! Oh! My friends and I pretended to be the Beatles – but for some reason – girls would not chase us! Go figure?
Perspective counts for a lot, huh? There were no exciting fights in my fourth grade, but I do remember a kid who had a seizure. He fell down on the floor right next to my desk, and it scared me terribly! My desk was in the row pushed right to the wall, and I couldn’t get out of my seat! He was trashing around on the floor with his eyes rolled back and spit bubbling from his mouth, and I think I crawled up on top my desk. I will always remember that. That poor kid!
Fourth grade memories. Wow, that was a long long time ago for me. I remember watching Star trek and wanting to travel the stars instead of paying attention to the teacher. I also wanted to make things happen like in Bewitched, instead of being in school. I remember them teaching us the same thing over and over again and again and again. Espeicailly math. I got it the first time and didn’t need all that repitition. i should have paid more attention in spelling class I guess….We had a horrible fire drill alarm (sounded like a siren,not a bell) that made me want to cry. Every time it went off, I would say a prayer for whoever was in that burning house before I realized it was a drill. Our priest had a wonderful lassie dog named Dammit. We got a lecture from the priest once about not putting gum in the dogs hair. Maybe that was more than once.
Apple Cinnamon Muffins!!!