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School Daze
Can you remember when school began a couple of days before Labor Day?
Who made the decision to mess with the school calendar? We are coming up on when
school begins. Presley Frances Jones begins the first grade in Cobb County with
the goal for her to finish public school in Haralson County one day. I thought
about how I am going to feel that day she gets out of the car and into the care
of a group of caring and underpaid educators.
My first day of school happened 51 years ago at the old two story elementary
school on Robertson Avenue. It had a bell tower out in front and there was no
air conditioning and many of us kids saw our crayons melt in the early September
heat. The smell of Olde English Furniture Polish met kids at the door and the
janitor Mr. Thurmond had the halls and class rooms spotless.
Mrs. Downey was my first grade teacher. She introduced us to "Fun With Dick,
Jane, and Sally" in our first grade reader. School was something that introduced
us to social interaction and getting along with other people. There was a
practice then that I wish we could have today. We had to lay down and take a nap
on a mat on the floor. Why can't we do that now that we need it more than we did
when we were 6 years old? In a few days I hit 57 and wish we had recess at work.
Back then, there was no "time out" for unruly behavior. There was a wooden ruler
to the backside and a sentence of dusting erasers and cleaning the blackboard
after school. My memories of the first days of school was one of excitement and
joy. Parents warned their children to behave in school because a paddling in
school meant an even bigger one at home. Somewhere along the way the principles
of discipline went out with the horse and buggy.
Do you remember the playground behind the school and the merry go round that
would go the same speed as the space shuttle when "Big Bill", one of the older
kids pushed the wood and steel contraption. Getting slung off the merry go round
got me a pop on the fanny by Willie Cobb who taught me the next year in second
grade. Those days of the old Tallapoosa Elementary School were warm ones that
embrace the heart like Paris Hilton does her cell phone.
Recently the Haralson County Recreation folks had "Haralson Idol" at the
facility in Buchanan. I realized that the place I grew up always produced some
talented people. My mother and grandmother adored the singing of Harold
McWhorter and Bud Jones. Harold McWhorter's first album project back in 1974 was
called "Sunday Night In Nashville" and it was a collection of original
compositions and it got some air play on WSB radio. Harold's album was produced
by Harold Shedd who went on to produce "Alabama", Glen Campbell, and Mel Tillis.
He also signed Shania Twain, Toby Keith, and Billy Ray Cyrus, yes kids Miley's
dad to recording contracts with Mercury Records.
Congratulations to "Haralson Idol" winner Angelica Griffin who is a Haralson
County native and a junior at DePaul University in Chicago. Pamela Christmas was
first runner up and her rendition of "El Shaddai" moved hearts. I hope the
recreation authority folks do it again next year.
The "Haralson Idol" show was wonderful and I got to see some old friends that I
hadn't seen in years. Lane Williams who is in the automobile business on Highway
78 was there. Lane has done well for himself and I am proud of his success.
There was a song a couple of decades ago by Don Williams called "Good Old Boys
Like Me" and there is a line about "Those Williams Boys, Still Mean A Lot To Me,
Hank and Tennessee". The writer of the song Bob McDill talked about how the
music of Hank Williams and the literature of Tennessee Williams had a big
influence on his life.
Those Williams boys still mean a lot to me too. Lane is one of them.
Kids, school begins in just a few more days. Remember, single file, no talking,
and don't eat the paste.
Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa Native and a member of the administrative
faculty at Kennesaw State University. He can be reached via email at
Rhubarbjones@aol.com
or by mail at P. O. Box 1001, Tallapoosa, Ga. 30176.
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