First Grade in Laurel, Md

School

I wasn't ready. I didn't want to go to school. I wanted to stay home with Mommy. I wasn't old enough, anyway. I was only five. I wouldn't be six until November. But everyone said that I could start at five years old so start I did.
The first day was a little fun. I had new clothes and shoes. I even had a book-bag! It was red plaid! Dressed in splendor, Mommy and Rachael walked with me for the three blocks that lead to the big brick building. It was September and the leaves on the trees were dressed in yellows and reds. They danced in the early morning breeze and fallen leaves of gold and brown rustled across the school yard and down the street. so far so good.

my classroom was decorated by pleasant bulletin boards with pictures. The blackboard sported a row of perfect alphabet letters at the top. the teacher smiled pleasantly and showed me to a desk amongst the other girls and boys. There was laughter and crying. Laughter from the children who already had friends in the class and they played happily waiting for the mommies to leave. And the crying from children who, clinging to their mommies legs, begged to go home and not be left here at school. I sat politely at my desk by the window and watched through the chaos as my mommy walked down the sidewalk towards home. Abandoned. I too began to cry.

I really don't remember much about the morning classes. I didn't learn much more than what Rachael had taught me at home when we played school. I did learn that if you raised your hand, the teacher would call your name so you could speak. I raised my hand and the pretty lady called my name.
"May I go to the bathroom, please?", I asked softly.
"of course, my dear" she answered.
I walked to the door and down the hall. Spying the door my mommy had walked out of earlier, I opened it and walked home.
" Mommy!" I called out happily. I came home to use the bathroom!"
"Barbara Elaine Kitzmiller", Mommy spoke harshly. " You can't come home until school is out! Now march and I'll take you back." I began to cry as she took my hand and walked me back to the classroom at the red brick school three blocks away.
I was resourceful. Three days later, I asked to go to the bathroom again and walked home again. But I didn't go into the house. I played in the side yard in the little grove of trees. I heard the telephone ring and heard Mommy answer it. Then she began to call out for me. Of course! She wanted me to come in for lunch! But she didn't want me to come in . She wanted me to explain why the principal had called to say I was missing. Phooey...here we go back. I was practically running because Mommy was holding my hand up so high that my toes barely touched the ground. Here we went through the pretty leaves and up to the horrid red brick school.
This time, I waited for a whole week before I made my escape. I climbed out the bathroom window, avoiding the door they were now watching carefully. I went to the park. It was just a little way further down the street from the school. I liked the park and knew my way from trips there last summer with Mommy and my sister, Rachael. I was swinging on the swings, pumping my legs hard so that I could touch the sky with my toes when she found me. Holy Toledo! She was mad. She spanked me every step back to the red brick prison that was "school".
I finally made peace with my sentence and stopped trying to escape. At the end of October, Daddy got orders from the Army where he worked that we were moving to Paris, France. I got to stay home from school and help to pack up our whole house. No school! We were going to ride on a big ship called the Queen Mary and go to live in France. I sure hoped there was no school across the ocean.