School Days, School Days...

There appears to be no difference between 'grade' school and 'elementary ' school except that both can offer 1-through-6 grade levels or 1-through-8 grade levels. My public schooling years in East St. Louis, Illinois was structured as thus: 1-through-6 was 'Grade' school, 7-through-9 was 'Junior' high school and 10-through-12 was 'High' school.

I do believe those various schools look much differently today versus 'back-in-the-day.' In general  today's schools are producing smarter students from a more undisciplined environment. That said, I'm not going down that road this day. Nope, instead, I wish to point out how elementary schools today look nothing like my grade schools of yesterday. That's right, I live near two elementary schools and they look unfamiliar to me.

I recall sitting at straight-back wooden desks where the seat and desk were one unit. Those desks were in lines. Today grade schoolers sit at tables or in independent chairs arraneged in a circle. I don't see any 'patrol boys.' How do these kids know who's the coolest guys? I never see boys playing mumblety-peg or marbles. Never see girls playing hop-scotch. Never notice any students cleaning erasers against trees. I suppose all those classrooms have those 'dry erase' boards.

Several years ago, I asked a neighborhood girl who taught 'Palmer Method?' She said, 'I don't know him, he's not in my class." She also told me she did not know what a 'cloak room' was but she was sure her school had one somewhere.

I never seen kids walking to school carrying lunch boxes or brown bags but then or wearing those highway yellow rain coats with the hood. Come to think, I seldom see kids  'walking' to school. Mom or Dad drops them off or a school bus delivers them. The only time my classmates EVER boarded a school bus during my 12-years of public schooling was for field trips or athletic events. And where is 'Yo Yo Sam?' He taught me how to 'walk-the-dog.'

Finally, I no longer see those grade school year-end picnics with the Ferris Wheel and Flying Swings. I suppose once a kid has been on the Six Flags 'Screaming Eagle' the Ferris Wheel 'sucks.' And one more thing. The Catholic Grade School directly behind our Decatur home has not had Nuns teaching there in over 25-years. This means today's grade school Catholic boy does not know the punishment feeling when kneeling on one of those triangular rulers.
(Touch)
Ring Ring Goes The Bell