School Days

Big liked to say she went to school every

September from the time she was five

until she retired at 64.

Big has lots of school stories,

starting in grade school when she and her best friend

decided to take egg salad sandwiches for lunch 

every day. 

All year.

Not sure she will touch the stuff now.

And stories of teaching at

 Grove School

right out of college with
her friend Marge.

And stories from our beloved 

Middlefork School.

Harry Collins gave it to her.

I say *our* beloved because I feel it is woven into 

the history that is our family.

I remember setting her doll collection up in 

the display cases in the front hall every year.

I remember her office 

with the Necco wafers in the desk drawer
that in later years became those awful
eucalyptus drops.

I remember helping her put the new school supplies 

in her room at the start of a new school year.

I remember the smell of the supply closet.

I remember the purple haze from all the cigarette smoke

in the teacher's lounge.

I remember going to the fair every year as a child

and then taking Shanna and Breese.

One of my favorite teacher stories Big tells

is about the little boy who just couldn't sit still. 

Finally out of exasperation, Big tossed an 

eraser at him.

I think it bonked him in the head.

This was before the days that such a 

thing would have landed Big in jail, 

but nonetheless, she figured she'd 

catch a little flack from his mother.

Turns out he went home and told his mom,

"Miss Osborne is treating me just like you do."

No jail time, just a chuckle among adults

whose hearts were all in the right place.