Let's go back ... in time ... 1991
On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I'm invited to a rather unusual get-together. Allison (who got back from China about a month ago, if I never mentioned that) and I are spending the evening at Carla's house. Carla ... as in, our old 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Johnson. The two of us always had a kind of unique relationship with her - I think we all had similar senses of humor, for one thing. Allison and I were a unique tag team of intelligent [geeks] kids who were eager to learn and do homework, but were also highly sarcastic and liked to bend the rules. Carla's class was awesome for us. I remember kidnapping the counselor's teddy bear and holding him for ransom (that was a class project), Allison and I rearranging the school's Battle of the Books schedule so we could attend the meetings, sitting inside with Carla and discussing an espionage class she was taking, writing "sideways stories" about our principal [loved to tango] and librarian [played accordion at the Polka Pub] that Carla insisted we share with them and then gigglingly admitted afterward that she hadn't been sure if they'd be offended, writing our series The Penpals during class while everyone looked at a map of the world and helped us decide where they should go on their Central American cruise ... anyway. Great class.
Allison and I had lunch with Carla a few years ago in D.C. when both Carla and I happened to be in town, but Friday's shindig will also include Allison's visiting boyfriend from Germany, two of Carla's children and their families, Carla's boyfriend, plus our old elementary school counselor - owner of the bear we kidnapped. I'm sure it will be fun, but it will also be strange, at least at first. I think maybe I'll bring along a few volumes of The Penpals so Carla can for the first time truly appreciate the saga she helped facilitate.
Allison and I had lunch with Carla a few years ago in D.C. when both Carla and I happened to be in town, but Friday's shindig will also include Allison's visiting boyfriend from Germany, two of Carla's children and their families, Carla's boyfriend, plus our old elementary school counselor - owner of the bear we kidnapped. I'm sure it will be fun, but it will also be strange, at least at first. I think maybe I'll bring along a few volumes of The Penpals so Carla can for the first time truly appreciate the saga she helped facilitate.
Labels: elementary school
posted by BeeKay at 9:16 PM
8 Comments:
I SO REMEMBER YOU GUYS DOING THAT! I was even priveleged enough to read some of them!
As far as Thanksgiving goes, that's so wierd and yet, fun! Please tell Mrs. Moon and Ms. Johnson I say hello. I love them so much!!! You simply must update me on all that's new with them! And, I can't believe my 5th grade teacher has a boyfriend. :)
I wish I had one of those!
Say hello to Allison.
Crazy thing, the other night I was wracking my brain trying to remember who we stole BG from, and here you go and answer for me in your post. Awesome.
I will definitely tell them you say hello. Remember how BG started out as Big Guy, but then we claimed it was actually Big Gal because she had a baby or something? And the students who eventually returned her wore paper sacks over their heads?
Do you also remember us cutting up some pictures of Mrs. Johnson and some random dude we met at a museum in Milwaukee or Chicago and putting them together on some sort of Valentine's card that we gave to her?
YES! Man, that year I think was my best at Grewenow. We were so lucky. Mr. Somer's class was so jealous of us. We had all the fun and they always had to be quiet and work!!
LG
I loved that class. I visited Ms. Johnson a few times over the years. We always had lots to talk about with how crappy things went after Mr. Fountain left. She was friends with my aunt (Ms. Fraher) who was a 1st grade teacher at Grewenow for years. They both left at the same time. Do you know if Ms. Johnson retired? Or is she just at another school?
I'm not actually sure if she's retired! Something to find out on Friday, I guess...
I can't see her retiring yet. She's such a great teacher. And not only is she good at it, but she really loves her kids. I'm pretty sure she's at another school. It's crazy, I don't think any of our teachers apart from Mrs. Fredricks are left at Grewenow. Everyone that was there when we were is gone now.
That is because you guys are officially old now. Oh, and I always thought your favorite teacher and grade at Grewenow was Ms. Delamatter/Gallo/O'Rielly 6th grade. You always talked about how fun it was when Shannon Spencer got to brush Ms. Delamatter/Gallo/O'Rielly's hair in the middle of class.
And Carla isn't retired. Carla. Who can get used to that? She told me about 5 years ago to stop calling her Ms. Johnson, that Carla was ok, but I just can't get used to it. I see her all the time at Super Valu.
I'd love to have a nice reunion with Lois (Mrs. Brehmer), Joyce (Mrs. Cronin), what's-her-face (Mrs. Christy), Ruth (Miss Copeland), Carla (Ms. Johnson), and Audrey (Mrs. Walsh). Maybe I should throw a New Year's Eve bash for them. Of course I'd have to invite along Virginia (Thompson), Tim (Somers), Rose (Berry), (Pitts), (Fredricks), (Stahlman), (Lundgren), (Ryan). Who remembers their first names? They weren't really my teachers, anyways. They all seem like Joyces to me. Or Lindas. Whichever. Of course Mr. Hardy would have to come along.
I can't get used to "Carla" either. It's wrong! Just let me call you Mrs. Johnson!
Mrs. Pitts is "Mary Jean". She was somehow related to/friends with these friends of my parents' and I remember one memorable summer in elementary school she was at a picnic/pool party they threw. Creeped me out at the time. And I think it was Carolyn Frederick. And ... nope, I can't remember Mrs. Ryan's first name. Or Mr. Hardy's. Man, Mr. Hardy could NEVER go by his first name in my head.
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