Attended Willows from Kindergarten to Grade 5
K- Mrs. Glue
1 - Mrs Fairburn
2 - Mrs Coady
3 - Miss Meikle
4 - almost Mr. Popoff... Mrs. Hockin
5 - Mr. Popoff
Kindergarten - no distinct memories. Vaguely remember walking down the stairs into the kindergarten room. The cloak room, the kitchen area and wearing slippers
Grade 1. Peeing my pants and Mrs. Fairburn discreetly handing me my gym bag and sending me to the restroom to change.
Grade 2. I wasn't certain who the teacher was until I looked through the paperwork from the forties file. I do remember where the classroom was located in the building. End of the hall, top of the stairs to the right. I believe I broke my thumb riding my bike to school that year and didn't have to write a spelling test that week. I met Trevor Lines in that class... and to my eternal shame... leaned over one day in class and kissed him. Not the way to introduce yourself! However of all the children in my class that year... he's the only one I remember by name!
Grade 3 - Miss Meikle. She was short and older. I recall she was well traveled. Often spoke of African and Middle eastern trips she had taken. No fondness for her or that year.. no dislike either...
Grade 4. First day of school sitting in my new classroom.. forty students.. not enough desks... Mr. Popoff looking intimidating. Agonizing hour not knowing if I would be kept in his class or one of the fortunates asked to go to the new teacher's class. Hallelujah. I was selected. I remember the terror of that hour vividly.. the name of the new teacher... nothing! I do remember enjoying the new teacher and she reminded me of Julie Andrews. This was the year of the 'great eclipse!' Likely a normal eclipse, but I remember having to close all the blinds in our classroom. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN! being ingrained into us, and the TERRIBLE storm that accompanied the eclipse. (I assumed storms always accompanied eclipses until recently)... It was 'the great eclipse' also because that TERRIBLE storm, caused a large tree to uproot and fall ... and crush my bicycle. Not something a timid, small 9 year old girl ever forgets.
I believe I began crosswalk patrol that year. Seems crazy now to think of nine year olds being in charge of stopping traffic and other children's safety.
(The teacher's name was Mrs. Hockin.. thankfully she signed my report cards)
Grade 5. Back in that same class again. Mr. Popoff, still looking intimidating. And no reprieve that year. A whole year of Mr. Popoff... kicked in garbage cans, broken pencil sharpeners, split meter sticks... and an unusually strict adherence to colouring in one direction with pencil crayons on hundreds of maps!
(I can't help thinking of how old I was. I cannot picture Whittaker handling such an intimidating teacher with any more grace. How did children not run home crying daily?)
I remember whole school assemblies. Being a 'cougar', for school spirit activities. Going upstairs to the nurses cubby of a room for shots. Walking to Grandma's for lunch on Wednesdays.
Hot dogs and real milk on special Fridays.
Recess: Square ball, leap frog, Chinese skipping, playing on the soccer team - briefly- the ball against the wall game... each level added another difficult dimension such as turning around and catching the ball before it bounced or clapping your hands etc.. making hundreds of DAISY CHAINS...
