Reflections

I'd say it was late Spring or early Fall in 1954, a quiet time in American history; and Mr. Eisenhower was The President. There was a sweet and kind teacher hard at work, teaching kindergartners how to figure, read, and write. She's also teaching them fair play and how to do what's right. No one seems to be interested in picking a fight with The Lord's Prayer or The Golden Rule. No one is opposed to the reading of The Ten Commandments or The 23rd Psalm being read in public schools. Why, there's a Bible on her desk. There's a little boy playing with cars and trucks in the big sandbox, and later that evening, I saw him on a stage in a play with several other kids as they were singing, 'twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are'. The next day, he was on the playground having the time of his life swinging high and seesawing. He and all the boys and girls were jumping on and off the merry-go-round and never grew tired of running and playing hide and seek. Every second of play is treasured, recess being so very brief. That old fashioned cowbell rings dutifully every morning, signaling class time. Several hours later, it was lunch time followed by a recess of fun time. I saw little girls 'jumping rope' or playing 'hide and seek' as the little boys busied themselves playing 'marbles', 'softball' or 'pop whip'. Sitruc, the little boy I referred to earlier, attended this little school about two years before it burned down, and he had to be schooled temporarily at a little church in the same little community. He was now in the first grade and loved playing 'pop whip'. As usual, Sitruc was at the end of the line, being held very tightly by an older boy, lest he being airborne, gets thrown across the grassy green campus grounds and get severely injured. Before long, the old cowbell begins to ring and kids start their trot for the afternoon classes. 020821PS