Growing Up in Boone, Iowa in the 1950s

Lonette, Linda, Nancy, 1953

 Growing Up in Boone, Iowa in the 1950s

Linda, age 7

Linda, age 14

Playing in front of the house on Carroll Street

 My name is Jennifer Sapp.  I grew up as Jennifer Iverson in Minnesota in the 1980s.  My mom's name is Linda Iverson.  She grew up as Linda Alber in Iowa in the 1950s.  I have always been fascinated by stories of my mom's childhood.  I'm going to call my mom Linda in this blog.  Enjoy!
  Linda wasn't born in Boone.  She was born in Blytheville, Arkansas (in 1945) because her daddy was stationed there.  She lived in Essex, Iowa for most of her first five years of life.  When it was time to move away from her white house on the edge of Essex, she looked closely at her chickens in the fence and said to herself, "Now you remember what this looks like, you're going to want to remember this!"
  Linda's family moved to Boone in 1950 when Linda was five.  She remembers the specific day that her family moved and how they stayed at the Shangri La Hotel overnight.  She recalls, "I was so excited to be in Boone!  The next morning we went to our house, which was only a few blocks from the hotel.  I remember so vividly thinking, '"Well, it was so close, why didn't we just come all the way last night?"'  Linda felt like her daddy should have been able to stay awake long enough to get to the house and not have to stay in a hotel!    

The house on Carroll Street, 1953

    The family lived in two different houses during their time in Boone.  For the first two years they lived on Fourth Street and then later moved to Carroll Street.  They were able to buy the house by paying only $50 a month.  They bought the house for $4,000 and then in 1962 when they sold the house, it sold for $6,000.  Her folks had put a lot of work into the house, especially the attic.
    The first thing a person saw when they walked into the Carroll Street house was the dining room.  Over on the right was the living room with big bay windows and to the left was the bathroom.  Right beside the bathroom there was a cabinet with a door and three shelves where Linda and her sisters each had their own shelf.  Linda said, "Oh, how we prized those!  It was a place where we could put our own possessions.  It was so wonderful to have that space to ourselves and I remember cleaning out my shelf and getting it organized and of course, just like a school desk, it would get messed up and I would clean it up and then it would get messed up again."
    Past the dining room was the kitchen and farther over to the right from the dining room was Linda's parents' room.  Off of the dining room were some steps that the girls had to climb to get up to their bedrooms.  The roof was slanted.  Lonette's room was the first one on the left at the top of the stairs.  Nancy and Linda shared a big room that was separated into two rooms by a partitition their daddy made.  All three girls shared a closet in the hallway and an upstairs bathroom.  Linda remembers using the space under her bed to store things such as magazines and books.    

The house on Carroll Street, 2012

 At night the girls would lie in bed and talk to each other, even though they had been told not to.  Their mama would come to the bottom of the steps and yell, "Girls!"  Of course, the girls would quiet down immediately and go to sleep.  Well, one night when Linda was in junior high, she played a trick on her sisters.  Lonette and Nancy were already upstairs in bed and were talking to each other.  Linda went to the bottom of the steps and put on her best mother voice and yelled up, "Girls!"  Lonette and Nancy were quiet instantly.  It had worked!  Linda had fooled them!  Linda remembered, "It was such a trick to play on them and I never tried it again, but that one time, it was fun!" 

   Linda's family moved into the Carroll Street house around Christmas time.  Linda's mamma always liked to tell a particular story about Linda from that Christmas.  She said, "The first Christmas we lived in the house on Carroll Street, we didn't have drapes up on the windows yet, but we did have a Christmas tree up.  We moved just right at Christmas time.  We gave the girls bicycles for Christmas that year.  The girls came down to see what Santa brought them and Linda was the one who said, 'I think we should stop right now and say thank you to God for Christmas!'  So, we did.  And, I have never forgotten that!" 

  The house on Carroll Street had a huge mulberry tree (that didn't have mulberries) in front that always had squirrels nesting in it.  Whenever anyone walked out of the house those squirrels would scold and scold.  Linda and her sisters got so used to squirrels that they became part of the environment around their house.  Linda said, "We had a big back yard.  I don't know that it really was all that big, but as a child, it seemed like a big back yard."  There were lilac bushes, peonies, and asparagus growing in the back yard. There was also a mulberry tree in the back of the house that did have mulberries.  Linda describes mulberries as being halfway between blueberries and raspberries.  Linda remembers that although their mulberries from their tree were good, the very best mulberries were down by Honey Creek (where they were not allowed to go).  Linda said with a chuckle, "One day we were down there and we had a feast of mulberries, which we were not supposed to do.  I got home and my mom said, 'Oh, you've been down there eating mulberries.'  I thought, 'She can read my mind!'  And, then I went and looked in the mirror and of course they were all over the outside of my mouth smeared like everything."    

 Linda and her family went on occasional picnics to Ledges State Park, near Boone.  Linda's dad would start the fire and then go for hikes with the girls while Linda's mom prepared the meal.  A particular attraction that Ledges State Park had were fords (little bodies of water) that cars could drive through.  Some people call these "dry bridges."  The park also had large sandstone boulders.
    Linda's family got a television around 1953, when Linda was eight years old.  At that time there were fifteen minute shows.  For example, Dinah Shore and Jane Wyman each had a fifteen minute show.  Some other favorite programs were, "I Love Lucy,"  "Perry Mason," and "Mr. Peepers."  Linda's family enjoyed watching the "Ed Sullivan Show" because of the excellent guests he had on.  They also enjoyed watching, "Bishop Fulton J. Sheen" on T.V.  His program was very popular and was on at the same time as Ed Sullivan for a while.  

   Linda's family always ate breakfast and supper together.  They had a special tradition on Saturday nights:  popcorn, milk, and apples and sometimes they had fudge!  Sunday noon meal was always eaten together as well.  Once a month the family ate out at McCaskey's Cafe in downtown Boone.  They used the money Linda's mom got for being a church choir director.  She got $10 a Sunday and used $5 on their meal out.
   Linda's family attended Central Christian Church.  Linda said, "The only time you didn't go to Sunday School was if you were too sick to stand up!"  They were taught a lot of Bible lessons.  Linda remembers attending church at a very young age.  She said, "Even when I was too young to understand it, I went to church.  At first the sermons seemed awfully, awfully long until I got to where I really could understand what he was saying."  Linda's mom was the choir director and her dad sang, was an elder, and was chairman of the board.  Her dad sometimes gave sermons if the preacher was gone.  Sometimes Linda's parents sang duets together and Linda always felt proud of them.  Linda was in a youth choir that her mom directed.  Linda said, "Church was so much a part of our lives.  Much of what we did together as a family was through church."
     Linda was an active member of her church.  She said, "What inspired me to be a teacher was when I worked at Vacation Bible School at our church in Boone.  I worked with a group of second graders and I just decided, 'I want to be a teacher and teach second grade.'  That was what I had decided."  Years later, Linda did become a teacher, for first graders.     

Central Christian Church

   Linda attended Page Elementary School in Boone from kindergarten through sixth grade.  Page was a small school and had only one classroom for each grade level.  Linda really got to know her classmates.
   Linda attended school in Boone through eleventh grade.
   Linda and her sisters walked to school each day.  It was only a few blocks away.  As was very common at that time, there was a neighborhood store across the street from the school.  In fact, there were stores on many street corners, so almost everyone could walk to a store, get their groceries and walk home again.
   One summer while the family was living in Boone, there was an abundance of boxelder bugs in the house.  Linda's mom made a bargain with her three girls that for every ten boxelder bugs they killed, she would give them a penny.  The girls went to work and caught many of these pesky bugs using old oatmeal boxes as cages before disposing of them down the drain.  Linda earned over nine dollars that summer!  That's a lot of boxelder bugs!

     When not killing boxelder bugs, the girls could be found spending their summers at the pool.  Linda took lessons from the Red Cross in elementary school.  Sometimes popular rock 'n roll music would be playing over the loud speakers at the pool.  Linda did not usually listen to that kind of music, but she remembers that one popular song of the time was, "Splish, Splash, I was Taking a Bath."  
     Linda taught herself piano through the first Thompson book and then took lessons from Mrs. Veale in junior high.  Mrs. Veale charged one dollar an hour.  After Linda had played for a few years, she accompanied the school choir on ocassions.  Linda started violin lessons the summer after fourth grade.  Her teacher was Mr. Scholl.  He started the string program in Boone and taught all the orchestra students from beginners through high school.  When not making her own music, Linda enjoyed listening to records of such pieces as "The Grand Canyon Suite" by Grofe, "The Swan" by Saint-Saens and "The Peer Gynt Suite" by Grieg. 

Grandpa's Music Store in Boone, Iowa

  Linda's dad owned a music store in Boone.  He and his brother Royal worked there together.  The most popular item at music stores in the 1950s was sheet music.
   Linda's mom was a secretary at a junior college and later at a YMCA.
   In 1962, Linda's dad got a job working for his brother-in-law.  The family left Boone and moved to Cedar Falls.  They moved the summer after Linda's junior year.  At first Linda did not want to go because she wanted to graduate with all her friends in Boone.  Linda's friend Sue and her parents offered to let Linda live with them her senior year.  After careful consideration Linda decided to move with her family.  It turned out that she was very glad she did move.  She had a new chance to leave behind her shy self and be the person she wanted to be.  She explained, "When I moved to Cedar Falls, I made a conscious decision that I was going to be a different person.  With nobody knowing Lonette, it was easier to do that."  She said, "There are people now who really can't imagine that I was ever shy."  Despite the fact that Linda did not graduate from Boone, she is still able to attend class reunions with her classmates.

"Shoes = Friends"

I love shoes!

Have you ever experienced a "Shoe High"?  This past weekend, Todd and I went shoe shopping to replace a pair of my sandals that are broken in the heel and have a horrible stench!  I bought a sporty pair of blue ones (my favorite color) and proceeded to float around the house in a jolly mood and chant phrases like, "I'm sooo rich in shoes!"  A few weeks ago my sixth grade friend Eleanor wrote in her blog about some adorable boots that she had recently acquired and as I read her blog, I felt a bond with her - a bond of "girldome" as we reveled in our new shoes!  Check out her blog at:  http://elliefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2012/02/boots.html.  Her blog post inspired this blog post.  You see, shoes are like accessories, so what you wear on your feet can make or break your outfit!  Allow me to introduce you to some of my shoes.  They're like dear friends, they are fun and supportive!  Enjoy!

My first Dansko shoes

  Look how cute the embroidery is on my Danskos!!!!  These shoes help me stand up straighter and I feel European when I wear them (I'm a hip gal wearin' clogs that are stinkin' cute!).  I floated around the house the day Todd and I bought these together.  I've been to the Mall of America maybe a dozen times in my life and I've bought something there maybe twice.  But, when I saw these shoes, I simply had to delight my feet with them!
    My Danskos quickly became
friends with the other shoes I always
wear to teach in.  Standard black ones by Naturalizers
that I could wear for hours on end and
never have sore feet.  Navy blue ones 
from Cabella's to match more of my "casual" work

Teaching shoes

clothes.  Classic brown Redwings that
are perfectly cute without squishing my toes!  All these shoes work great during the majority of the school year.  But, then there are those few weeks in the fall and spring when a teacher needs to enjoy breezy sandals to accompany colorful skirts and flowing dresses.  Hence the sandals collection you are about to meet.  For 
many years I had one pair of sandals a
year.  I wore them like crazy and they
slowly deteriorated until the next year
when I got a new pair.  Now that I am
older and am learning how to

The sandals collection

indulge in my feminine ways, I have
splurged and gotten myself a variety to wear for years at a time!  Starting from the upper left you will see a pair of black Naturalizer sandals that are extremely comfortable and adorable.  Next to them are my newest pair of blue Croft&Barrow sports sandals that I can hardly wait to wear in Colorado on our vacation this summer!!!!  Under those are fun red Naturalizers that I bought for my cousin Kia's wedding.  You would not believe how many outfits look great with red sandals.  Everyone should have a pair of red sandals.  And, being Naturalizers, they are comfy bumfy!  The brown ones are also Naturalizers that I got while shopping with a friend.  Have you noticed a theme yet?  I love Naturalizers!!!  No, this is not a paid advertisement, just one happy customer!  The next pair of Naturalizers are sleek, shiny black ones that I wore for my friend Amy's wedding.  They are adorable but not as comfortable as the first pair of black sandals I wrote about.  I wear these shiny sandals for special events and church.  The last shoes you see like to hang out with the sandals even though they are merely Wal-Mart silver slip-ons.  I thought I would include these shoes because I slip them on to my feet every time I dress up as the Poetry Princess for school.  These shoes are famous (and were originally bought for my sister Kim's wedding).  They are a bit big and fall off my feet ALL the time, but they have served a great purpose

Flip Flops and Crocs need their own category

and match my silver dress perfectly!
     Part of what is so special about shoes is that they are sentimental.  I've already mentioned shopping for shoes with my husband and friends.  I've mentioned wearing certain shoes for weddings or special events.  I love to tell the story of my shoes to anyone who will listen.  For example, the white flip-flops you see in the next picture have the flag of Brazil on them.  They are the most comfortable flip-flops I have ever worn in my life.  And, they were a gift from my good friend Angie who was a missionary in Brazil.  I love to wear them and I think of Angie when I do.  I feel European in my Danskos and I feel Brazilian in my flip-flops!  The blue flip-flops are from Angie, from Brazil too.  See, I'm shoe rich!!!  Aren't they adorable?  It's almost a shame to put them on my feet and cover up their cuteness!  Now the pair in the middle are Crocs.  I was skeptical about Crocs.... until I tried them myself.  I just couldn't believe that they would be that supportive or comfortable.  Boy, was I wrong!  My mom's doctor suggested she wear them around the house to help her feet and ankles that give her trouble.  I wear mine around the house too.  I love the combo of blue and yellow, so my Crocs make me happy..... while helping me not stub my toe around the house!

My running/walking shoes and my hiking boots

  You have met all my friends that help me teach, make my outfits cute, and make me happy, but now you need to meet two very important pairs of TOOLS.  Yes, these are tools helping me to have a good outdoor sporting experience.  My Nikes keep me active and fit as I walk, run, and grocery shop!  My hiking boots keep my twist-prone ankles safe and my back strong and my feet protected.  I believe strongly in both.  I bawk at the people who hike up mountains in flip flops!  Flip flops have their place, but give me my hiking boots!  These boots have been to beautiful Banff in Alberta, Canada and to the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming.  They have hiked the trails of Gooseberry Falls State Park and walked miles and miles of muddy tractor show grounds.  They have been faithful and strong when I needed them most.  See how shoes are like friends?  Fun, supportive, faithful and strong!  I hope I can be the kind of friend to others that my shoes have been to me.  The End!  Now, go, and love your shoes!   

Antique Snowmobile Shows!

"So, Jennifer, what did you do this weekend?"  Well, I went to my third Antique Snowmobile Show of the winter.  There isn't even snow this year and I've been to three shows!  "So, what do you do at an Antique Snowmobile Show?"  Good question!  You get up early in the morning and you get all dressed up in your snowmobile  gear (our loyalty is to Ski Doo) and you put on your warmest socks and boots because you know you're going to be on your feet a lot of the day.  Then, you drive to Santa Anna or Detroit Lakes or Waconia.  Once

you arrive, you unload your antique snowmobile somewhere on the showgrounds.  "Showgrounds?"  Yup, the showgrounds are usually a big parking lot or a section of a lake.  There is always a special feature of the show.  For example, John Deere Snowmobiles, or Sno-Jet, or Ski-Doo or Moto-ski.  All the featured sleds are in a special section.  As a participant, you

walk around and look at the snowmobiles.  Part of the fun of Antique Snowmobiles is seeing how well restored they are.  Todd is soooo happy when he sees a good restoration in which everything looks as close to original as possible - original headlights and skis, and color and seat.  Todd and his boys enjoy fixing up old snowmobiles.  I have    

been absolutely amazed at some of the things Todd and his boys have been able to restore.  It's quite a process and takes artistic creativity!  "What else do you do at a show?"  Hmmm, there is a swap meet in which people set out snowmobile parts and other odds and ends for people to buy.  There is usually a silent auction with cool things like framed advertisements from the 1960s or an embroidered T-shirt with an old Evenrude on it.  We almost always have a hot chocolate and visit with somebody!   

I have gotten to where I enjoy going to shows more than I used to.  I always bring ear plugs (those old snowmobiles are NOISY!).  I always bring a book in case I need a break while Todd is still going strong.  I look forward to the cheesy old commercials or audio songs they play for snowmobiles ("What Does a John Deere Say?"  "Putt, Putt Putt, Putt, Putt").  And, most of all, I look forward to seeing the shine in my husband's eyes as he is in his element enjoying old toys for big boys with his honey! 

Super Missionaries!

Katie Davis and her 13 Ugandan children

Missionary:  A person who gives her life to Christ and lives each day with a passion to tell others about Jesus' love!  I can do that!  I want to do that!  I strive to do that!  BUT, then there are people out there that are really, truly, 100% doing that.  They inspire me daily.  I want to tell you about some of them.  I just finished reading the book "Kisses From Katie" by Katie Davis who lives in Uganda, Africa.  She is a woman in her early 20s who found her joy and her passion in helping children in Uganda.  She adopted 13 girls and is helping hundreds more by feeding them, educating them, and taking care of their medical needs.  She also tells

Carey, my missionary friend in Southeast Asia

 them about Jesus.  She doesn't hold back.  She cups their sweet faces in her hands and she tells them about God's extravagant love for them.  She shares with them about how God created them and loves them and CARES about them.  She loves the people of Uganda and through her love, the people there see God's love.  Beautiful.  She has done AMAZING things in the few short years she has lived there.  Please read her book or check out her blog:  http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com.  Or look up information about Amazima Ministries.  Amazima means Truth in the Ugandan language and it is Katie's dream that the people learn of God's truth in their lives.... about Jesus' love! 

Pauline, my friend who grew up a missionary kid

I have never met Katie, but, after reading her book I feel like we've been friends forever.  You know who she reminds me of?  My good friend, Carey who is also doing AMAZING things as a real, live missionary.  She and her husband live in a country in Southeast Asia where they help do language surveys and create Bibles for people groups who have never had the Bible in their native tongue.  There is something so exciting about being able to support work that is helping people experience God's word in their heart language.  It reminds me of my friend Anette who speaks German as her first language, but is bringing up her children in Norway.  When I asked what they speak at home, she told me that of course it would be German, because one wants to talk to her child in the deepest closest-to-the-heart language possible.  I get that.  Carey and Nate are helping God speak to his people in their deepest closest-to-the-heart

 language possible.  Go, Carey and Nate!!!!
    Then there is my friend, Pauline who grew up in Senegal, Africa as the child of missionary parents.  But, when she talks about her childhood, she talks about how she, too was a missionary.  She has wonderful stories.  I could talk to her for hours about growing up an "M.K."  Now she is a missionary in North Dakota!  She is an ordained Lutheran pastor there.  She and her family minister to the people in Bowden and surrounding areas, including some Native American Reservations.  She has a passion for serving God's people in North Dakota, while her parents continue to minister to Africans (now in Egypt).   

Sheryl, the Kindergarten teacher at Mt. Lake Christian School

 

ME, Jennifer, short-term missionary to Ukraine

After college I worked in Mountain Lake, Minnesota at a Christian School there and got to know another super missionary, Sheryl!  Sheryl is the Kindergarten teacher at the school, but also has responsibilities in other grade-levels during the week.  She works HARD and she is fun, energetic and creative! Those kindergarteners sing and jump and dance for Jesus.  Sheryl keeps the focus on Jesus.  She loves the children that He gives her each year in her classroom.  She prays for them and ministers to them.  She is making a difference in the lives of those kids and she is expanding the "Kingdom" too.  Sheryl taught me so much about teaching.  She taught me that teaching is truly a ministry.  Oh, how I miss daily praying with my second graders and singing about Jesus with them, and sharing thoughts about Bible stories.  I miss my Christian school, but I also know God is using me in Becker Public Schools too.  I can still pray for my students.  And, I can see some of them at church and Wednesday night Awana.   

Pastor Rob, shepherd to MANY!

Sometimes I get to be the guest speaker at Awana.  I love going to school the next day and having students say things to me in the hallway like, "You sang about Jesus last night!"  They are making a connection between their faith in Jesus and a teacher they see in the hallway.  Jesus is everywhere and all the time and He is fun!
    The last picture is of our pastor.  My husband and I have both loved our pastor for years and years.  We loved Pastor Rob before we even knew each other.  Pastor Rob has been there for us, guiding us, praying for us, and helping us along the tough things in life.  He has encouraged us and cheered us on.  He has shared his wisdom with us and been such a light to us both.  Truly, Pastor Rob is a missionary in Becker.  Truly, we are blessed to be part of his flock. 
    So, with that said..... what is a missionary?  A person who gives her life to Christ and lives each day with a passion to tell others about Jesus' love!  I can do that!  I want to do that!  God, give me the strength to be a missionary right here where I am planted.

Snow!

 I love snow!  I have always loved snow!  There is nothing quite so glorious as walking along a snowy path with huge, fluffy snowflakes gently falling from the sky and getting caught on your eyelashes.  There is something pure and wholesome and amazing about snow.  One can play in it and not get dirty - just wet.  One can use one's artistic energies and CREATE cool things with snow (snow bunnies anyone?)  One can have make-believe adventures and fabricate whole new worlds with snow.  I loved to just THROW snow in the air and watch it fall, all sparkling and magical and clean!     

 I grew up on the best sledding hill in town!  We lived on the lake, so we could sled from the top of the hill all the way down onto the lake.  Talk about awesome!  When there was freshly fallen snow on the lake, my siblings and I would go write huge messages on the lake by 

 dragging our feet and composing phrases like "Merry Christmas!" for all the world to read.  When I got older I loved snow shoeing and cross country skiing.  Wow, people in Florida are missing out!  Snow is awesome!  One can even make SNOW ICE CREAM!  Yup, that's me and my siblings enjoying some fresh

 (non-yellowed) snow ice cream we had made with Mom.  Delicious!  I have a January birthday, so I basically always have snow on my big day.  I love traditions and it was a tradition to play in the snow on my birthday.  Even my college roommate joined me for a 

winter walk in the snow on my birthday in college.  If one is talking about snow, one simply must also mention ice - and ice skating!  There is nothing like the feeling of flying across the ice on skates.  It's wonderful!  Here is a photo of my second class of second graders (who are now SENIORS!).  I enjoyed my day of ice skating with them (on Valentine's Day) way back in 2002!  Ahhh, memories!  Snow (and ice) can bring people together.  I think we need a little snow!  Anyone else? 

Learning from my K-6 gr. teachers' mistakes...

Learning from my teachers' mistakes...

I think most teachers become teachers because they like kids and want to help them learn.  Teachers want to make a difference.  I would imagine that is how all seven of my elementary teachers (1982-1989) began.  I would imagine they sincerely liked kids and liked teaching at one point.  But, they made some mistakes.  As a student I felt some of those mistakes deeply.  There are certain things I do or don't do as a teacher now because of those mistakes.  I would never say that I became a teacher because I wanted to be a better teacher than my teachers had been.  I also would never say that I loved school as an elementary student.  I became a teacher because I love kids and I want them to love learning.  I love my "flock" of kids God gives me each year.  So, let me share some stories to help you see some of what shaped me into the teacher I am.
   I remember very little about kindergarten, other than dull plastic scissors and being "Bashful, the Dwarf" in a class play.  My teacher was very old, with white hair and we had a mobile classroom outside the regular school.  My teacher was not energetic.  She acted old.  Now I strive to be energetic as a teacher and I never want to act old. 
   My mom's first grade teacher did not understand the importance of a new box of crayons to a six year old.  Little Linda's name was called to come to the back of the room to meet with her teacher and as she got up, her brand new box of crayons fell to the floor, scattering everywhere.  Of course, she knelt down to gather them up.  Her teacher scolded her and demanded that she come.  Horrified, my mom felt so torn because she wanted to obey her teacher, but her new crayons couldn't be left on the floor!  I don't remember how that story ends, but I know that when my mom grew up and became a first grade teacher in the late 1960s, she had LOTS of patience for first graders who dropped things.  Now, I, as a second grade teacher help my students pick up things that fall, or I ask students around them to help.  I know I must be patient when things spill (and things spill A LOT).  I remind myself that kids are KIDS! 
   My first grade teacher yelled a lot.  That's about all I remember.  There was a naughty boy who wore a string necklace with a key at the end and she was always yelling at him.  She yelled at all of us.  I didn't talk in first grade.  I couldn't read in first grade.  First grade was very hard.  I didn't feel loved by my teacher.  I was afraid she would yell at me.  Now, I never yell.  I love.  I care.  I encourage my students to talk.  I help them learn to read.
   I had the most wonderful second grade teacher a girl could ever have!  She had a big smile and a nice laugh.  She was beautiful with dark hair and shiny eyes.  She was patient.  I remember doing art projects in her class.  I remember how she helped me set the goal to raise my hand once a day.  I remember knowing in my heart that she would never yell at me if I got something wrong.  I knew my teacher loved me and wanted me to talk in class.  Perhaps my teacher made a mistake or two that year, but I don't remember.  I remember the feeling I had in her classroom.  That made a big impression on me.
   Third grade was another story.  My homeroom teacher was a male.  He loved sports.  He didn't like me.  I know he didn't like me.  One time I sneezed and it make a loud spitting sound and he yelled at me.  Did he really not know me well enough to know that I wouldn't do a thing like that on purpose!?!  Another time he accused me of being mean to another girl on the playground.  He put us in the hallway until we could work things out.  He never listened to my side of the story.  He didn't like me.  He liked the popular girls.  He let kids be mean to me.  I was bullied, but he didn't care.  Sometimes we played dodgeball and the big boys would whip me with the balls.  My teacher didn't notice.  He didn't care.  He gave us two options of a movie to watch as a reward and one was my favorite "Pete's Dragon."  The other kids made fun of me for liking such a baby movie.  The teacher never stopped their taunting words.  He let them make fun.  That still floors me! 
     My math teacher in third grade was an impatient woman down the hall with thick glasses.  She had absolutely NO patience.  I didn't learn a thing in her class and she was always mad at me because I didn't "get" math.  She sent home hours of homework.  Mom can attest to this.  I would have around two hours of math homework every night in third grade.  Math was hard.  My teacher was incompetent and impatient. 
      So, what did I learn from my third grade teachers for my future as a second grade teacher?  Never yell at a kid for sneezing!  Listen to both sides of the story!  Don't favor the popular kids!  Watch to make sure kids are not being bullied and then do something about it!  If your student isn't getting math the way you have always taught it, find a new way to help her!  Don't get mad at kids for not getting something!  Two hours of homework a night is TOO MUCH!  There, I'm not bitter or anything, can you tell?  It doesn't get much better....
    Fourth grade, my teacher was the coach of the cheerleaders.  She had been a cheerleader.  She liked the girls that wanted to grow up to be cheerleaders.  She didn't like me.  Despite all that, I would say that fourth grade is the year I really took off in my reading.  Perhaps because when you read, you can escape to another place.  One of my favorite things to read were the big, white "Value" books about famous people like Johnny Appleseed, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller.  We did a reading log and I was sooooo excited when I filled up my log.  I was so proud of myself for reading so many books.  What did my teacher say when I handed it in?..... "Yeah, well, you mostly read short books."  No words of encouragement, nothing.  That still boils me.  I was excited about my reading and she wasn't a cheerleader for me!  What did I learn?  Be a cheerleader for your students!  Be excited about reading!
   Fifth grade was the real doozy!  I have always had trouble with my hearing.  I have always done some lip reading.  My fifth grade teacher had an extremely quiet voice.  I honestly couldn't hear much of what she said.  And, she wouldn't repeat.  She would accuse me of not paying attention!  Didn't she know me at all?  What's with teachers accusing quiet, sweet little girls of things?!?!?!  It gets worse.  I absolutely LOVE apple slices with caramel.  LOVE!  So, fall of fifth grade my teacher gave us a party with that delectable treat and I went back for seconds (maybe even thirds).  Sometime in there she snapped my picture.  Later she put the picture on our wall with a caption reading, "Our chubby Jennifer stuffing her face!"  Wow.  That hurt.  That really hurt.  Didn't my teachers have feelings?  I'm not bitter!
    My fifth grade teacher also thought that kids could not listen to readalouds at their desks and draw at the same time.  Drawing was my release in fifth grade.  I drew funny little cartoons and I drew people with funny expressions.  I loved to draw.  And, I could listen to my teacher read a chapter book at the same time.  I definitely could.  But, she didn't believe me and I had to put my drawing notebook away.  Now, as a second grade teacher, when I read to my kids during snack time, they can draw or color when they are done eating.  I know they can listen.  Now as a teacher, I will repeat if a child couldn't hear me.  I even have a microphone system to help them hear me.  Now I try extra hard to make all my girls feel beautiful.  I don't just choose the cute, adorable girls to play the princesses and fairies in our plays, ANYONE can be a princess or a fairy!  All little girls are BEAUTIFUL!!
    What about sixth grade, you may ask?  Yes, Sixth grade was a good year too.  I thank God for my Mrs. Brueske from second grade and my Mrs. Christopherson from sixth grade.  Mrs. Christopherson had a big toothy smile and she would always brush her teeth after lunch.  I liked that.  I brush my teeth after lunch too.  She didn't let the bully boys pick on me.  She had fun ways to teach history.  We would play games and try to remember facts.  She let us do a fun lip sync video and I did "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston and "Just Another Manic Monday" by Cindy Lauper.  Gotta love the 1980s!  Mrs. Christopherson gave me an award for sixth grade graduation for being the "Biggest Bloomer" because I had grown so much in confidence and social skills in that one year.  I do believe that much of that was because of a good teacher!  I hope that as a teacher, my students are blooming each year too!
     Well, I hope this blog entry isn't seething with bitterness.  And, I hope that someday some writer isn't writing bitter tales about ME as his/her teacher.  We all make mistakes.  I make mistakes.  I beat myself up for mistakes I have made.  I constantly have to remind myself that I don't have to be perfect.  I am a teacher in order to love kids and help my kids love learning.  Perhaps I should be thankful for the mistakes my teachers made because it helped me be the sensitive teacher I am.  Perhaps. 

Trendy New Scarf Organizer!!!

 I love scarves! Colorful scarves.... subtle scarves.... bold scarves.... happy scarves..... dash-of-color scarves! What's not to love? Here are my scarves.  I displayed them all on the floor so that I could get a good photo of all of them. I wear them all (one at a time, of course!). But, I had trouble keeping them

 organized.  Until now!  Todd bought me this fabulous scarf hanger from IKEA.  I begged him for it!  I love it!  It keeps everything scarf -related so neat and tidy.  What did I ever do without it!  If you love scarves, like I do, you NEED one of these!  Run to the nearest IKEA and buy  

one!  You won't be sorry!  You can keep all your scarves in your closet.  Enjoy!