Grade: 2, Eyes: 4, Age: 7

Day 20

"Four Eyes" - me in really big glasses.

Once again, I’m looking back on my elementary school days and this time it’s second grade (1981-1982). As you can see this was the year that I started wearing glasses (and stopped being cool!) Anyone out there who had to wear glasses during grade school knows what I’m talking about, especially anyone who has ever been called “Four Eyes” - which I was. Side note: just what was so cruel about being called “Four Eyes”? It’s not accurate, as you technically still have the same 2 eyes, only with glass in front of them, which is really just like windows; so the correct insult would be “2 eyes, 2 windows.” And that just sounds like an ad for an apartment. Some insult.

Me on the front row (as always) in the center.

Why is my teacher holding a pencil? Was that

really necessary for the class picture?

Anyway, my teacher was Mrs. Gappmayer, a pleasant, poised and patient teacher. My class was made up of many kids from my previous classes (a common trend in this school). Nothing out of the ordinary about the teacher or the kids in class, so I’ll just move on…

There was one student, named John, who picked on me relentlessly. Well, maybe picked on isn’t the correct terminology: he would chase me after school. I remember that whenever he ran after me I would run and run through the big field between school and the neighborhood, usually screaming (I feel mortified admitting this!) Why was I afraid of him? Did he ever threaten to beat me up? No, he’d just chase after me and since I screamed like a baby it probably provoked him. One time he caught up to me in the field, so I collapsed and played dead. Huh? What was he, a bear? Well, he dumped some dirt on me while I pretended to be unconscious and then left, at which point I high tailed it home! Eventually he stopped chasing me and that was (thankfully) the only time I was seriously bullied (if you can call it that) during elementary school.

In second grade I went to see a speech therapist at school, as I had difficulty pronouncing the letter “S.” It was embarrassing to leave my classroom and go to another room in the school, to be separated, singled out from the rest of my class. But on the plus side I got a cool green folder for all of my assignments, worksheets, progress reports etc. with a scratch ‘n’ sniff banana sticker on the front! And the therapy must have worked because I have no more difficulties with the letter “S” (although I am not on the best of terms with “S” - so smug and so snobby! I despise you!)

Next up: Third Grade!!

So there you have it. In 2nd grade I started wearing glasses, got chased around and had speech therapy. You can imagine how much I loved this year (oooh, I get goose pimples just looking at the class picture). At least things improved in the years to come.