My, How Things Change and What Children Learn

On my first day of school and first grade I thought I was hot stuff as my grandmother had taught me at home vs sending me to kindergarten because as she told me, I was too smart for that!  Of course, school has a way of putting one in their place and I was quickly reminded of mine!

We were asked who knew the alphabet song.  When everyone else raised their hand, I went along because, of course, it was the first performance test.  My grandmother had taught me all the letters, I was reading all the “Dick and Jane” books for first and second grade but I had never heard of the alphabet song.  It became quickly evident to my teacher, Mrs Ferrier, and I was called out and humiliated in front of everyone.  David Broughton and I had to stand with our noses   on the blackboard (in little circles she drew for each of us) and our backs to the class for what seemed like an eternity!  How embarrassing!  Even to this day over 50 years later I can feel the blood rushing up the back of my neck as I blushed.  (But I did make a friend in David, who was a talker from the beginning of time,  and I remember his birthday for some odd reason.)

This little girl is 30 months old – she knows the ABC song, she can identify all her letters, she can sight read many words and she is pretty proud of herself too!