My First Day of School
My first day at Kyle Elementary wasn’t the best. But to fully appreciate the events of the first day of school I need to let you know what happened before I made it to the first day of school. I need to let you know what only my family knows…….until now.
I was very excited to be starting school. I grew up adjacent to Kyle Elementary, so as a small child, I could see the children on the playground, running around, playing tag, and spinning the merry-go-round. It looked like fun and I wanted to be there too.
I was also looking forward to learning. My mom had taught me to read, how to count and name all the primary colors. So I was ready to learn more.
So when it came time to register for school, I was ready to go! My mother and I and walked to school. My mother completed the enrollment forms (I’m sure there was less paperwork back then).
As part of the enrollment, I had to take a test. Mrs. Barrera asked questions about the alphabet, numbers and general knowledge questions, like “how much is a dozen?”
One question I still remember was what do you do if you lose something? I proudly said, “Find it”. (I am not sure if my wife would agree with that statement.)
Then we went home.
A day or so later, the school call Mom and told her I could not start school.
I could not start due to an item on the first page of the enrollment packet.
My birthdate.
I wouldn’t turn five years old until a few days after school started. The law back then was very clear. Not five – no school. This wasn’t a line in the sand; it was like the Berlin Wall. (It was still around back then.)
When the first day of school rolled around, I remember going to my parent’s bedroom, which faced the back of the school, and watching, very sadly, the children playing before school started. I wanted to be there, but I had to wait a whole year to get there.
So the whole year passed……SLOWLY.
But when next September came, I was ready. I woke up, ready for school. My Mom took me by the hand. I proudly walked to the school, climbed the stairs, took one look inside Mrs. Witte’s class, and said, get me out of here!
There is always one child who cries more on the first day of school, than anyone else, and I took the trophy in 1973. Sheesh, I even cried on day 2.
Yes, that is how the school board president started out in public school.