My Grandparent's Day Celebration

Last Friday, to honor grandparent’s day, I attended a celebration of Grandparents at my oldest granddaughter’s school. Oh it was fun! We gathered in the assembly room and each class had one quick performance prepared. We listened to poems, music, songs that included movement and sign language, children read written stories about their wonderful grandparents, and I heard a few different grandparents’ names that I have not heard before. There were the usual grandma and grandpa, Grammy and Poppy, Mimi, Nana, but I also heard (please forgive spelling errors here, I’m only guessing at what I heard) Pap Pap, TuTu, and GiGi, Pappy, and something like Yia Yia.

After that we all went to the class rooms of our little ones were teachers divided us grandparents up amongst the kids so all the kids would have a grandparent to talk to even if their grandparent wasn’t attending that day. They took turns asking us prepared interview questions. Then each grandparent stood in front of the class room to tell about something the kids had asked about. My question from the class was how school is different now than when I was in elementary school and I thought I would share with you too.

When I was attending elementary school here in AZ the small town near my home closed it’s one room school because it was more economical to bus the handful of kids to another town for classes. We had eight grades in four classrooms; two classes per room. The teacher would teach one side of the room, and then switch to the other side for a while. Sometimes I found it difficult to concentrate on my work because I would be listening to what was happening on the other side. We didn’t have music or art or sports. Usually we didn’t have PE either. We did have swings and slides to play on.

I rode a school bus to school and my house was eight miles mostly on a dirt road, from  my bus stop, then twenty five miles more to school.  My mom or dad would drive me to the bus stop each day and be waiting for me when the bus returned in the afternoon. When I was about 10 or 11, my dad felt I was old enough and responsible enough that he could allowed me to drive an old truck to the bus stop all by myself. At the end of the day, I would drive it back home. The bus driver would wait until I had the truck running before pulling away. It was hard for me to reach the gas and brake petals at first. All the other kids on the bus were amazed I was allowed to drive. My dad had an understanding with the sheriff that I would be allowed to drive to the bus stop and the bus stop only, then back home.

When I was in the eighth grade, some kids kept asking me why I obeyed my father and never drove into town for fun. One day I decided to try that. I drove very carefully to the nearest store and bought myself a coke then went home. I didn’t see the sheriff, but he saw me or someone did and told what I had done. That night he came to visit my dad. My dad told the sheriff I was a good girl who never got into trouble so if he would allow me to continue to drive to the bus stop I would never again abuse his kindness. My dad looked at me with those eyebrows raised and that’s all I needed. I apologized to the sheriff and I never did anything like that again.

I look back on that time and I can’t imagine having letting my child do that. Yes it saved my parents time and trouble but oh they must have watched that road each night waiting for me to come home on time.

How is your childs or grandchild’s school experience different than yours?

I linked at Grandm's Briefs.

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