Preschool

My family has lived in the same house since the time I was four, so I never had to go through the experience of being the new kid in school. I'm not sure if it was the proximity to my mom's work building or if it was the only good one around, but I went to a Challenger preschool on the east side of town. It was probably a good fifteen to twenty minutes away from the house.

I had two teachers in preschool, Ms. Kay and Ms. Kathy. I can remember both their names easily, but somehow cannot remember the name of my sixth grade teacher. Anyway, Ms. Kay was a pretty lady with typical 80's permed hair. I'm sure it was hot at the time. Ms. Kathy had short red hair and was a little more plain. I don't remember anything at all about them except that they were good singers and I liked them. We used to sing a lot in preschool. We would sit on the carpet and sing such classics as "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" and "This Land is Your Land." I still think of preschool when I hear those songs.

The Challenger school had a killer playground. It seemed huge to me at the time. I'd like to go back and check it out again just to see if it really is as big as it is in my memory. There was a paved track that went all around the playground equipment that you could ride Big Wheels on. There were only two or three Big Wheels and usually only one of them had a good front tire. Anybody who had ever had a Big Wheel knows that the front tire inevitably splits down the middle. Although it's still possible to ride the damaged bikes, it's not an enjoyable experience. There were a lot of kids out on the playground at recess and I don't remember ever getting a turn on the Big Wheels. I resigned myself to playing on the train shaped metal sculpture.

T.V. shows and movies always show preschool kids getting a snack and then taking a nap. We never got snacks or naps. Although if you read my previous post you'll know that I wasn't too disappointed about the latter.

I can still remember picture day in preschool. We were all lined up in rows on the little bleachers for the class picture. One of the teachers had told us to be good and quiet and I followed instructions to a T. In the picture I appear in my light blue turtleneck and overalls with my arms folded tightly across my chest and my lips zipped. I was so adorable!