4th grade
My little girl goes to her first day of 4th grade tomorrow morning. I am not sure if I am more excited, or if she is.
4th grade for me was Smith Elementary in Baumholder, Germany. My first teacher in Baumholder was an older lady, she reminded me a lot of Mrs. Garret from Facts of Life. Her name was Mrs. Howlett, in all honesty, she is really the first teacher that I remember a lot about. My third grade teacher in Incirlik, Ms. Snyder I vaguely remember, only because I learned Algebra under her and hated it. But Mrs. Howlett really had an affect on me.
I was a horrific student in elementary school. I mean they would hand out report cards based on your grades, if you did well you got your report card handed to you first. Without exception every year I would be getting my report card last. I did not care much about school obviously, but I did learn a lot of things. I absorbed information, i just did not know how to use it, which was my problem.
4th grade was also the year that I met my best friend in Mike Diclementi. We met while playing football down the hill from the school right next to a housing building. We were basically inseparable from that day forward. 4th grade was the year that I joined the Baumholder Bullets PeeWee soccer league. We went undefeated.
I remember our last game, the championship game, against Wetzel. I remember their uniforms, they wore gold tops with black stripes down the arm with blue shorts. We had problems scoring against them because they kept their entire team near the goal. They never moved towards our net, they just sat in front of the goal the entire game. I remember hearing the parents saying, what are they doing?
4th grade is when I walked up the hill by our house to go to school. By myself, a walk of maybe a third of a mile. I would walk up the hill, stop off at a house that had like a push button intercom system. I would always stop there and press the button and run by. I am sure the guy that lived there was a bit pissed off, because I would do it for the next three years.
I cannot believe that my little girl is at the stage that I was at. Who knows what adventures are going to come up. Who knows what life is going to hold for her. Who knows how much of fourth grade she is going to remember when she turns 38. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for her, but remembering the 4th grade for me is all the thanks that I need. I truly will be happy to see the life in her eyes tomorrow as she runs to school to start the 4th grade.
And Mrs. Howlett, where ever you are in this world, just remember that kid that did not pay much attention in class, that kid that did not really do what was told, still remembers you.
