Thursday, December 28, 2006

The Extra Little Girl

Today for your reading pleasure, I direct you to: The Grownups Wanted Us Dead, where you can read about:

The Extra Little Girl I moved in the middle of 1st grade. I remember standing in the doorway of my new classroom, Gram's hand clenched in mine. The desks formed a perfect square - the same number across as down. The teacher's name was Mrs. Baker. Soon I would no longer have a name.

12 Comments:

Blogger Minka said...

That teacher deserves a slap right across the cheek. I volunteer for that job. You are no extra little girl, sweet Quilly!
I moved school a lot when I was little and it was always teh most horrifying part, to enter teh new schhol, teh new classroom and everybody watching you, measuring you up and down. Terrifying. I am glad your gram was there to hold your hand!
hugs, lots of them!

12/28/2006 06:24:00 AM  
Blogger Minka said...

oh...and also....FIRST!

12/28/2006 06:24:00 AM  
Blogger Charlene Amsden said...

Minka -- as a teacher I try to remember the things I learned in her classroom. ALL of my students have names - -whatever name they choose to be called -- and I work on pronouncing it right. I also make certain I speak to everyone personally every day.

12/28/2006 06:43:00 AM  
Blogger Nessa said...

Your Gramm kicked ass. I wish I had such an effective advocate when I was growing up.

12/28/2006 11:49:00 AM  
Blogger Charlene Amsden said...

Nessa -- Gram was my safe place. If it weren't for her I am certain I would have many more scars than I do from my childhood.

12/28/2006 12:00:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nessa is right... Gram did indeed kick ass! The more I hear about her and learn of her the more I'm convinced she is a big part of why we're a family of strong women.

12/28/2006 12:58:00 PM  
Blogger Charlene Amsden said...

Gram was definately our leader. And the glue that held us all in one place. I think the last full family gathering was her funeral.

12/28/2006 01:05:00 PM  
Blogger Nikki Neurotic said...

I am really glad that my experience as "the new girl" in elementry school was much nicer. Still very weird, but at least my teacher made me feel very welcomed and helped me with adjusting to my new enviroment.

12/28/2006 02:25:00 PM  
Blogger Lori's Minute said...

Wow, what a story Quill. I cannot believe that woman was a teacher but it always seems to happen where we get teachers who are not good at it at all! Thank God for your Grandma.

I had a teacher(6th gr) who gave everyone nicknames and expected us to do things we thought were impossible...to this day, he was my favorite teacher. I wrote him a letter about 20 years later and told him how much he meant to me...he wrote back, too!

12/28/2006 03:24:00 PM  
Blogger Dr.John said...

Everybody needs a name. But isn't it odd that when we come to the internet we spend as much thought into hiding that name as the person did in giving it to us.

12/28/2006 03:26:00 PM  
Blogger Charlene Amsden said...

Lori -- I often thank God for my Gramma. And I had some great teachers, too.

Dr. John, my name is Charlene. Pleased to meet you.

12/28/2006 03:40:00 PM  
Blogger Charlene Amsden said...

Silver! I didn't mean to skip you! Mrs. Baker certainly never must have been a new kid. Hmmm, maybe she was never a kid at all.

12/28/2006 03:45:00 PM  

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