The first day of second grade

By Glen Larson of Columbia, SD

(This is a fictionalized story to show life in a country school. District 71 was located in Tordenskjold Township in Otter Tail County.)

The bell rang as I arrived for the first day of second grade. I was nervous and excited to meet the other kids and meet my new teacher. An old neighbor told me she was an old mean woman with a long crooked nose.

As I entered the school, I saw a smiling young woman dropping the rope attached to the school bell. I put my lunch bucket on the shelf and hung my jacket on a lower hook for us small kids in the hallway. I walked into the school room that smelled fresh and clean to pick out a desk that fit me. Last year I sat in the smallest desk, but now I could sit in a bigger desk. I folded down the seat and sat down. The top of the desk was carved with the names and initials of students of the past.

“Hello, I’m Miss Danielson,” the teacher said. Miss Danielson had a smile that melted away all my fears. First we said the pledge of allegiance while facing the flag next to the two large blackboards in the front of the room behind the table and chairs for holding classes. Beside the table was the teacher’s desk and an old wood chair.

Miss Danielson said, “Take the song book from your desk and open to page 27.” She sat down at the piano as we all sang “The Cowboy Song.” That’s my favorite song, “My home is in Montana. I wear a red bandanna. My spurs are of silver, my pony is gray...” After the song she walked across the room and pointed at the duty lists on the blackboard. I got eraser duty, which consisted of pounding the day’s chalk out of the erasers at the blackboards. I would rather have flag duty, which consisted of raising and lowering the flag. That duty always required two to prevent the flag from touching the ground and to fold it properly. Also if it started to rain, to run out and get it down before it got wet. The big kids got the best duty, which was burning the trash or carrying water from the well to fill the drinking fountain, which was a brown insulated tank with a drinking fountain attached to it.

“Here are your books for the year,” she said, as she gave each of us our books, “you can look through them until your class is called.” After the first class was done, I was called for second grade class. I walked to the table in the front of the room with Jerald and Lloyd, my classmates. We were given a worksheet paper to work on back at our desk. I worked on the assignment and stared out the tall long windows on each side of the room to light the school before electricity arrived a few years before I started school. Now, large globe lights hung from the high ceiling on chains. Dad told me that things had changed after electricity came to the neighborhood. A fuel oil furnace had been installed in the basement. Teachers no longer had to come early to fire the stove with coal in the morning and the duty of carrying out the ashes was gone. But, the ash pile was still there on the side of a hill just behind the boys’ toilet creating a very steep sliding hill in the winter. The regular sliding hill was beside the girls toilet.

Eighth grade finished and it was time for a short break of 10 minutes for going to the toilet and a drink of water if necessary. After break, arithmetic classes were held. My class was a flash card competition and more work to do back at the desk.

Lunch time! We grabbed our lunch boxes and went outside to eat. Mom had made sandwiches with boughten bread and lunch meat. Some of my friends had only homemade bread with brown sugar on them. I opened the thermos and had milk with it. There were cookies for dessert, which could be traded for cake or jelly rolls with the other kids. After dinner (we called the noon meal dinner, not lunch), it was time to play ball on the softball diamond at school.

Home plate was a steel plate salvaged from somewhere. First base was a depression in the ground where the grass no longer grew beside two large trees with a large iron pipe supported between them. The pipes had grown into the trees. Balanced on the pipes were two large planks of wood that were three-inches thick and about 14-feet long. It was a seesaw or teeter totter. It was strong enough for two or three kids. Second base was the top of a large rock sticking out of the ground. Third base was another depression in the ground much smaller than first base because fewer kids made it to third base.

Teams were chosen before the game. Big kids were always chosen first, and first and second graders last.

I was first up to bat. The strategy was to get some little kids on base and then power sluggers (6th, 7th, and 8th graders) drive us home. Last year Margaret and Sharon, the oldest girls in school would help us bat. They stood behind us and helped hold and swing the bat. I was on my own today. Then the pitcher moved up to throw a gentle slow pitch. I swung and missed. Next pitch, I connected, a grounder between the pitcher and 3rd base. I ran for first as fast as I could. The pitcher caught the ball and threw it to first base. The first baseman fumbled. “Run! Run to second!” my teammates screamed. I ran for second as the first baseman ran into the ditch and on the gravel road that ran by the school. I made second base! Next up to bat was Jerald, another second grader. He struck out. Next up was Jerald’s twin brother Jim. He was out at first base. Next up was Jim and Jerald’s older brother Dennis, a seventh-grade power slugger. The pitcher stepped back for some serious pitching. All the fielders moved back. Dennis connected to the first pitch, hitting the ball to the left of third base. Foul ball, into the tall grass at the bottom of the hill. The next pitch was hit far out in center field, which was a hay field, so if it wasn’t caught before the bounce the search would give you time for a home run. I ran for third and then home. I scored! Dennis made it home with a second to spare. Next up, another out. As we were headed for the out field the bell rang. We would finish the game during afternoon recess.

I sat down at my desk. There was a sheet of paper with a drawing on it. Miss Danielson said, “You can color this while you wait for your class.” When second grade is called to the table we all get health books. As I returned to my desk the third grade is called and I listened as they got geography books. The teacher pulled down one of the large maps above the black board. It was a map of the world. That’s so much more interesting than health. Later when the sixth grade is at the table, she pulled down a map of the United States and asked them to name the capitals of the 48 states. After listening to seventh and eighth grade history it was time for recess. We all tore out of the school to finish the ball game.

The other team was up to bat. My assigned position was way out in the outfield. I think they put us small kids there to hunt for balls hidden in the hayfield or down the hill in the tall grass.

First up was a first grader. Sharon helped her hold the bat. Dennis, our pitcher, moved up and pitched a gentle slow ball. A swing and a miss. Another pitch and it was a hit. “Run, run!” yelled Sharon and she made it to first base. Next up was Margaret, another older girl, she made it to second base.

After another inning it was a tie game. The bell rang. I liked ties because there was no winners or losers. Most of my friends hated tie games because they wanted to be a winner I guess.

Back in the school house we are told about the library in the back of the room, which consists of two shelves below the cabinets that store all the textbooks. We must write our name on a card inside the back cover and give it to the teacher to check out a book to take home. Next we had our classes. Second grade had phonics. I really hated phonics. The name of the class tells it all. Phonics, why not “fonics”?

Three hands sprung up in the school. I wonder what all the excitement is about. Surely not all have to be excused for the toilet at the same time. Miss Danielson finally acknowledged Marilyn. Marylin said, “There’s a snake crawling on the floor!”

Sure enough there’s a garden snake slithering by the water fountain which was by the steps leading to the basement. Miss Danielson asked for a volunteer to take the snake outside. The hands of three boys shot up. My hands were under my desk because I’m afraid of snakes. One of the older boys proudly got up and grabbed the snake by the tail and held it at arms length while carrying it outside.

“Thank you,” said Miss Danielson as he returned to his seat beaming with pride.

Now the monotony has ended. I stared at the large clock in the front of the room behind the class table high on the wall above the maps and blackboards. It was 3:30 and time for our daily duties that we were assigned.  

I grabbed the erasers from the blackboard and took them outside to pound the chalk dust out of them. The erasers had a lot of chalk in them from kids doing math problems and the teacher giving examples of penmanship. It always amazed me how she can write so perfectly on the blackboard. As I pounded the chalk from the erasers on the concrete post and steel railing of the steps outside, I watched Verly and Geraldine lower the flag. Verly untied the rope as Geraldine prepared to fetch it to prevent it from touching the ground. Next they folded it lengthwise twice. They then folded the striped end into a triangle and continued until there are only stars showing. Meanwhile Sharon was setting fire to the trash in the burning barrel. We all hurried inside and returned to our desks.

School ended for the day. I grabbed my lunch box and jacket and headed for home, which was almost two miles away. All of us kids who lived west of school headed home in a group. As we walked by the lake near the road we picked up rocks and tried skipping rocks on the water. I couldn’t throw hard enough to make a rock skip but I could make a splash. When I reached my driveway I said goodbye to everyone and proceeded alone towards home. I stopped at the creek flowing under the bridge in the driveway. After a quick look for fish, minnows and frogs, I headed over the hill to the house.

Dad was by the garage working on the plow. He said, “Hello Trolis, what did you learn today?” I don’t know why he calls me Trolis, but it always made me have an uncontrollable smile. I talked about the snake and headed for the house. I opened the screen door and took a drink of water from the dipper out of the water pail on the wash stand in the entry.

I smelled fresh bread as I saw Mom taking buns out of the oven. Mom laughed as she said, “You hungry?” I put my lunch box on the kitchen table and split open a bun and watched the butter melt into it. It seemed like Mom was always pulling something from the oven as I got home from school. Coincidence I guess.