Category Archives: Memories

Dona’s First Grade School Report Card: Mrs. Gibboney

Memories, Series, Things, , ,

My first grade teacher was Mrs. Gibboney. She seemed old, even when I was in first grade. I don’t remember much about first grade except that I was kept after school now and then because I could not finish my work which, if I recall correctly, often involved copying text from the chalkboard. It is possible that I needed glasses — or my hand-eye coordination was poor. Also, as I didn’t realize until I was an adult, I likely had ADHD and possible learning disabilities.

I remember once during a reading lesson when she scolded me for something I didn’t do, and would not accept my explanation. It was a sight word quiz. The teacher would read out a word and we were to circle it in our workbooks. I’d just gone ahead and circled a bunch of words — one in each section. I got them all correct, and I was sitting next to her. She accused me of looking in her book, but in reality I had a bunch of lucky guesses. Her suspicion was understandable. (One other time something similar happened — I was giving one of these tests when I was student teaching elsewhere and I didn’t know that there was a teacher manual that I was supposed to be following. I just looked at the student’s page and called off one word in each section. Later, when I had the manual in hand, I’d read off the exact same words as the manual dictated.)

My handwriting has never been ideal, so I would probably still get a checkmark (checkmark=needs improvement) in that area. I excelled at reading though — at least later in the year.

When I was in college I did a short teaching practice with Mrs. Gibboney. I got to know her a little bit — certainly much more than I knew her when I was in her class.

My height at 43 inches at the beginning of the year and 44 at the end put me around the 10th percentile for my age. My weight of 34 at the beginning of the year and 37.5 at the end of the year put me below the 5th percentile.

Letter to parents: Chetek — August 1973

Family, Memories, Writing,

After my grandfather died in July of 1973 my parents thought I should stay with my grandmother for a few weeks — to keep her company and help her out. Here’s a letter I wrote home on August 15, 1973.

I was almost 16 and entering my junior year of high school that fall.

Interesting thoughts on Five Smooth Stones, both here and in my journal. Not that I wrote a lot about it, but what I wrote was what I felt. It remains one of the few books that changed the way I looked at the world.

$70 a month from Social Security doesn’t seem like much — but maybe it was in 1973. According to the CPI Inflation Calculator $70 in 1973 has the same buying power as $368.09 today.

I write a lot about being depressed. I don’t think I was actually depressed — certainly hormonal — but I wonder if I were almost 16 now and wrote that to modern parents if they would send me to a therapist.

August 15, 1973

Dear Mom, Dad, and Kevin,

I’m eating lunch right now. I just took a walk to the Baptist Resort and on the way back I stopped and talked to the horses. There is a pure white medium size horse. I think it is a male. It is nice outside — the wind is chilly though.

Lori sent me a letter. I received it today. I wrote to her on Sunday — two pages. Then on Monday I tried to write to Cindy but couldn’t think of anything to say. I finally finished it last night — a brief one-page note. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t seem to tell her the same thinks I told Lori. Then I wrote a page to Carol in ten minutes. Oh well.

I wrote a few pages in my journal this morning. I was feeling depressed. I have bee quite depressed since I finished Five Smooth Stones, I have decided that the white race has little to be proud of. When that madman shot David I felt as if I were losing a loved one. I guess Daddy and Kevin don’t understand this too much.

Grandma is pickling some fish today. She put tons of fish from the freezer into the sink last night and has been cutting them up all morning. she also made some doughnuts yesterday and fried them today.

Mr. Carpenter called yesterday and invited Grandma out do dinner. She told him that we were about to eat. When she hung up she told me that he was “looped”.

Well, how’s Cinder and Franz? Did Ginny like the cat? Does Cinder-binder act like she misses me? (you can lie if you want).

Grandma and I went to town yesterday with Mrs. Lorenz. We have to go to Rice Lake tomorrow for something.

Yesterday we went to the co-op. When Grandma and I went through the check out there was a box and a bag. I helped the boy carry the packages out to the car. Wow!

It is supposed to rain tomorrow. There were a few clouds today.

Mom — did you remember to unplug my nightlight? Maybe my radio should be unplugged too because the light could wear out. Oh well, you don’t have to.

This morning while I was sitting on the dock I heard some noise over by the long water grass. I looked and saw some ducks. Later when I looked again all I saw were some tails sticking out of the water. It reminded me of a poem from Wind in the Willows. I’m feeling depressed again so I think I’ll go and run or something.

August 16, 1973

Hi again,

One more week to be sixteen (sweet?). I don’t have much to write about. We went to Rice Lake today with Mrs. Lorenz. Grandma had to go to the Social Security Office. It seems that she will get money from them — some seventy-odd dollars a month and two hundred something for funeral expenses which she can spend any way.

Mrs. Lorenz and I had a good talk while Grandma was in the S.S. office. Mrs. Lorenz has three kids who had contacts and she is “gung-ho” for contacts. She said that her daughter hasn’t had to have her lenses changed for 10 years. The other one had them changed once for only five dollars a lens. On that word — I’ll say goodbye.

Love ya all,
Dona

P.S. I think I may need more money. I have to buy school supplies and shoes and socks and maybe more. Thank you, Love Dona

Two other interesting things about this letter — I spelled my middle name “Leigh” instead of “Lee” on the return address and partway through the letter I started writing oddly, printing backhand with slanted crosses on my “t”s and slanted lines on my “e”s.

1954 Advent Calendar

Memories, Things, , ,

When I found this vintage advent calendar in a box under our guest bed I immediately recognized it and I may have said, “Ohhhhh.” I first remember it from my Grandma and Grandpa Green’s house, then my mom had it up sometimes. It was meant to be placed in front of a light source so that the light shone through the paper doorways and windows and lit up the scenes for each of the days of advent.

It was made in West Germany (it says “Made in Germany US Zone” on the bottom left) in 1954 by the Sellmer Verlag (oh my goodness, they still make them) company in Shuttgart, Germany. (It says Copyright 1954 by Sellmer Varlag Stuttgart-Rohr) on the bottom right.

I’m keeping this and putting it up at Christmas whether or not we are home.