Flashback Friday: Elementary School

If my kids can't go to school, then I am going to talk about mine. I attended River Heights Elementary for kindergarten and first grade. My mom drove us to school but we rode the bus home. The school was one hallway long and a couple of portables and then a second building which was an old church housed the library and a couple more grades and a separate gym. 

Kindergarten (PM)

- Teacher: Mrs. Nickels (Just like the coin. Not to be confused to Mrs. Nichols who taught 3rd grade)

- We cleaned the tables with shaving cream. It was my favorite day each month.

- Easter time we each decorated a little paper cube box and then somebody hid them outside with candy in them. I never found mine. Mrs. Nickels gave me candy in a baggie to take home.

- Often we had sandwich cookies for a snack. The cool thing to do was peel the frosting off the cookie and put it on your nose before you ate it. 

- We had big colorful foam blocks for building and I loved to make forts. If I had a bigger house I'd buy them for my kids.

First Grade

- Teacher: Mrs Ewell

- Her daughter was in our class and she was a good friend.

- My favorite name was Merice which I think I made up but anytime I wrote a story, Merice was the girl's name.

- One time I was talking to our student teacher about church and she said something about "not everyone goes to church" and I this shook my entire universe.

- Some crafty mother came in and helped us all make a tiny stuffed bear with a porcelain face. I still have it and I'd take a picture and post it but it's in a box that's super hard to get to.

- I borrowed my sister's glasses (which I'm guessing she didn't wear too often) and told my class they were mine. I wore them the whole day (and couldn't see hardly anything) before I gave up the hoax.

- On the short walk between buildings on a cold day, my friend told us to wave our arms a lot and jog in place to create body heat. I told her that would make us colder since waving our arms was like fanning each other. 

I attended Mapleton Elementary for second through fifth grades. This school felt so big after River Heights Elementary. River Heights had 2 classes per grade, Mapleton had 4. Mapleton had 2 libraries and a lunchroom and a gym that opened into one big room. Outside there were 2 playgrounds and several basketball hoops. We didn't have swings and I complained a lot about that. When they put the swings in during 4th grade, I thought I had something to do with it.

Second Grade

- Teacher: Mrs. Paystrup

- For being the new kid and not knowing anyone, I got in trouble a lot for talking. 

- I thought Mrs. Paystrup was really unfair and played favorites. I was not her favorite.

- We played dodgeball at recess. I taught the kids in my class a lot of the jump roping rhymes I knew that kids at this school didn't know. It made me feel cool.

- I got nailed in the face with a basketball. I didn't cry but my face was red for the rest of the day. I am afraid of basketballs.

Third Grade

- Teacher: Mrs Eddington

- Mrs Eddington was the nicest teacher. She let us pick where we wanted to sit, let us vote on just about everything and had a few comfy chairs and pillows in the back of the room for us to sit on while we read or played games.

- We had a water cooler in the classroom and got to bring a cup from home to fill up and drink at our desks.

- I bumped into her glass candy jar on her desk and broke it. I still feel bad about that.

- I got a lot of Pizza Hut Book It coupons that year. 

- We were convinced (or perhaps just wanted to convince others) that a girls bathroom was haunted.

- The recess activity of choice was Slam. I should teach my kids how to play.

Fourth Grade

-Teacher: Mr. Brinkerhoff

- Fun fact: Mr Brinkerhoff was also my bishop. I saw him 6 days a week.

- I told Mr Brinkerhoff I was tired of him reading books about boys so he read My Side of the Mountain to the class instead. I didn't like it but I appreciated the gesture.

- I talked my class into staying outside even after Mr B called us in for recess. I figured he wouldn't punish all of us--we could claim we didn't hear his whistle. He didn't punish all of us. Just me.

- We made wood candle holders for Christmas gifts. Mr Brinkerhoff's mom came to class to help us use a glue gun to finish the decorations. I smugly told her I already knew how to use a glue gun. I burned my finger.

My mom made my Statue of Liberty Costume

Fifth Grade

- Teacher: Mrs Christensen

- By far my most favorite teacher in the history of my academic career thus far.

- As a year-long class project we ran a little store in the basement of the school. We selected things to purchase from Oriental Trading company and then sold them at a profit during lunch recess. I loved working in the little store.

- She was the strictest teacher. We were so quiet and attentive. It's weird that I like her class so much since I always wanted to talk. But I kept quiet for Mrs. Christensen.

- We played Around the World with multiplication flashcards. I could beat anyone in the class except for Dustin Herring. I learned later that Around the World is more commonly played with a basketball. I had no idea.

I think I am in the blue skirt, right of center

Social Distancing

First of all--man I can't believe I forgot this. The day life as we know it came to a screeching halt, last Thursday, Sarah got her glasses! What an innocent morning this was. Who knew what was to come that evening and the next day.

A day and half of seeing the whiteboard and then she's home and doesn't need them.

I took her to the grocery store with me (back when stores were normal) before taking her to school. I wanted to see her see things. She kept lifting them up and comparing. "Whoa, I can see that number 11 way over there." "I forgot about powerlines." It was awesome.

And then that night the sky fell.
If you would have told me two weeks ago what my life would be like now, I wouldn't have believed you.

Saturday night Justin took the girls out to Culver's for a daddy-daughter night and I took the boys to Macey's for our mom-sons night. Life felt so weird, unpredictable, jarring. And we can't even do this anymore.

After a few days of mourning all the losses (school, church, Primary activities, after school clubs, visit to family, Aspen Grove overnighter, piano lessons, eating out) I've come to a level of acceptance that just about everything is out of my control so I better look for the positive. But I'm never going to stop doubting the effectiveness of social distancing and being critical of how this is ALL being handled. There's got to be a better way!

Anyways, back to our little world. Wednesday was the weirdest day, you know with the earthquake and all. It felt like a train at first but it just kept shaking and no train came. Plus it was stronger than a train. I thought someone was shaking my bed to wake me up. Any other time our lives it would have been the biggest story for a week. But not this week or month. It was nothing more than a diversion---another crazy event that made us pause and wonder, "what the heck is going on" and then got absorbed into the craziness that is March 2020.

By far the biggest change for the Dyes is home-centered, school supported learning. Monday and Tuesday we were left to our own devices so I required math online and reading a book from my kids. Wednesday we had our materials and instructions from school so we started in earnest. I set up a table in the basement for the biggles' Chromebooks so keep the kitchen and living room as normal as looking as possible.

 

I thrive on routine but can't do schedules. The thought makes my anxiety level rise. I don't like a clock dictating my life. But I think things need to be in an order so I made this list. It's evolved a little and gotten simpler. My kids work at different paces and this allows that. The only thing that is scheduled is food because I'm not getting called back into the kitchen multiple times for when it suits them. Eat now or forever hold your peace.

Monday

Friday

Sarah's teacher, Mrs. Hunt, has been using google classroom all year so Sarah already knew how to navigate to find her assignments. It's been an easy transition for her. The biggest learning curve was to remember to not video call her friends until after all her work was finished.

Henry has taken to being on the Chromebook more very well. Too well. It's hard to keep him focused when he thinks he can open up games or YouTube. After a couple of frustrating days of getting after him for getting off track, I finally ruled that he can open his google classroom to see what workbook assignments he has and then close it while he does all his "offline" work. Then he can open it up to do his math assignments and math games. And then I check his work for potty humor and make him fix it before he reports back to his teacher that he's done.

For Erica, Mrs. Chidester gave us a folder with work pages stapled together by day with a cover page of instructions. All the pages are familiar to Erica so it's been pretty smooth. Next week I'm to introduce subtraction and it will be the first real teaching but I taught her everything first so it will be fine.

We send Mrs. Chidester a text each day to say she's done and we add a picture because I have it in my head that Erica is her favorite and misses her the most.

 

James likes having everyone home to play with. He does not like being left home while I go to the store by myself. But nothing made him more sad than when Costco stopped free samples.

Justin has been working from "home" from his parents' house. They have better internet. And I told him I would make no effort to keep the kids quiet here. Plus it feels normal to have him leave and come home every day and I like normal.

I have been taking my responsibility to feed my family very seriously without being a hoarder. At first I was just trying to buy enough food in case we had to quarantine for 2 weeks and the kinds of food that my kids could feed themselves if I got sick. But then the schools closed and suddenly I need more of everything because they are home more. And then I bought another bag of flour because there was only one bag of flour and everyone has a bag of flour in their cart except me and do they know something I don't know about the world's supply of wheat?!

And then upon realizing I didn't have another jar of yeast in the freezer like I thought it did (to go with my flour panic buy), and when I saw that Macey's and Costco were out, I raided my mom's pantry. I found this:

They don't make cans like they use to. This thing nearly broke my can opener.

It's very possible my mom took this can came from my grandma's pantry when she died in 2000. It's very possible this can of yeast is 50 years old. I opened it. I proofed it. It was no good.

I've had to rethink my food buying so many times. But we're good now. I am not hoarding more than we'd eat in a few weeks. Some of everything. Plus I grab a new bag of Cadbury Mini-eggs every time I see them but that's just good sense.

What will life look like in another week? Another month? Will my kids see the inside of their classrooms again? Will we have a family Easter egg hunt? Swimming lessons? Shadow Mountain camp? So many things came to a screeching halt and so many others are up in the air.

But I know no matter what, we will still have these normal-for-us moments like yesterday when James shoved a hotwheel car into his jar of Nutella and couldn't get it out. Any other time of my life it would have made me mad but yesterday I found it so comforting that we are still us.

Erica was the one to retrieve it. It was her car he jammed in there. She does not like Nutella.

A few things from last month and then some amazing segues

First of all, here's cute Erica in an outfit she put together all herself. I especially love the pants with shorts and boots.

 We finally met Justin's new nephew Bridger. He's sooo cute!

 James has a hard time staying awake some days. I hadn't seen or heard him for awhile so I checked his room. He put himself down for a nap!

 Usually he just drifts to sleep wherever he's been playing.

We went to Taste in Provo with some friends. We did the chocolate and cheese tasting. It was all very fancy and I felt so cultured and snooty when we were done.

First was the cheese plates. Our food guide explained how one was made and where and then we tasted it as a group.

 Turns out I like aged white cheddar. I don't like goat cheese.

This guy liked everything.

 The hardest part was eating slowly. Some I just wanted to gobble up.

 After a tour of their little chocolate factory (Not like Willy Wonka, unfortunately) we came back to our table and saw our chocolate plates.

If I thought I had a hard time going slow with cheese.....

These are my notes. I already knew I didn't like dark chocolate but I learned that dark chocolate can have milk added to it--just a lower amount--so you can have dark milk chocolate like Madagascar 58% which I liked.

The worst was Piura 75%. It tasted like raisins. That's my big complaint with dark chocolate--it tastes sour and raisin-y.

Here's my friend Amy Jo. We served together in young women's for a year or so and wanted to keep the party going so we go out to dinner with them every month.

Speaking of partying, we replaced the linoleum floors in our bathrooms upstairs. It was so fun! Well not really.

Actually it was fine. It wasn't so hard because our bathrooms are so small. Does this new floor make you want to buy our house?

Speaking of people selling their house. Sad day last week. Our friends moved. Henry has been best friends with Myer for 4 years--pretty much since the very day they moved in. These two freckle faced red haired boys have rode bikes, played basketball, exaggerated about the strength of their dads and their own sports skills for years. Their conversations are seriously full of lies.

 They are competitive with each other but mostly in a good way. They push each other at school and playing sports.

And they're super dorky together.  Henry wasn't too sad because he thinks he's going to see them all the time. I hope so.

Erica also had to say good-bye to Lennon. They didn't play together after school as much as the boys but they've been in the same primary class and kindergarten class this year.

 Lennon is just the sweetest and they've known each other since they were 2 so this is a bit harder for Erica.  They get so giggly together. Their conversations are mostly about how cute the stuff is that they're playing with.

 Another big change around here besides people leaving are people coming. I can now drive to my house from the Legacy Farms subdivision. For 13 years we've had no neighbors in sight and now there's a road, streetlamps and any day they'll be digging foundations and building houses and ruining the view out my bedroom window.

 What's weird is that it takes me 10 minutes to get home from this spot.

 Speaking of things that took 10 minutes--I took James to the fabric store hoping to get another cut of fabric of what I made his blue blanket. I made the blanket for Henry nearly 9 years ago. I used it with James among some of his own but he chose the blue one to be his favorite and constant companion. I thought I'd make him his own but bigger for when he's bigger. Even though I'd seen the fabric a few months ago, we couldn't find it this day. James did find some orange fleece that he fell in love with and would not be swayed--not even for Ninja Turtle fleece.

 With coupons it cost $5 and took 10 minutes to hem. Totally worth it.

 But instead of replacing blankie, it's just added to his entourage that he carries around wherever he goes.

Speaking of treasures from childhood, I found this dress in my cedar chest from when I was in first grade. Erica wouldn't even let me iron it before she put it on and wouldn't take it off.

 Here I am in 1990, big bangs and big bow.