My New Look: Seventh Grade

In the summer of 1961, right before my 7th grade year, my baby sister Mona was born. As is common for girls of that age, I loved having a baby around. I wanted to hold her, dress her, rock her, etc. When she got older, one of my favorite things was bathing her in the bathtub. She liked to play there, and I liked to cuddle her in the towel as I dried her off. I especially liked to powder her (I know that isn't done anymore) and dress her in clean clothes. Since she started first grade the year I left for college, I wasn't around much during her school years, but we have developed a sweet fellowship in our adult years.

My education continued at Edna Grade School, and as I had been since first grade, I was in a combination room. For those who haven't experienced this type of setup, it means that the teacher must teach most subjects twice--first to the 7th grade and then to the 8th grade. A few subjects like science, social studies, and penmanship could be combined; we alternated the 7th grade book and the 8th grade book. This arrangement also meant that we had to learn responsibility. In other words, while the 7th grade was having arithmetic, the 8th graders had to be working quietly on their assignments or reading a book. Since I loved to read, this worked well for me, except when I had trouble controlling my other love...talking.

I can still remember our quite elderly teacher, Mrs. Sisk. Her abilities and her memory were in their waning years, to say the least. Thankfully, I think we were her last class. I don't blame her for not liking me much because I don't think I was very respectful. When she made mistakes in explaining things on the blackboard, I just couldn't keep from correcting her. Needless to say, the parent teacher conference wasn't pleasant for my mom. After that, my mom talked to me often about respecting those in authority.

The exciting things about 7th grade were my new hairdo and my new body. For the first time in my life, I cut my hair short. Through my elementary years, my hair was long and straight but almost always in 2 long braids. Since I enjoyed playing hard, I liked it that way because I didn't have to mess with it much and it was out of my way. My mom helped me wash my hair and comb out the tangles once a week. When it dried, she braided it, and it usually stayed that way for a few days before it needed braiding again. As for my body, I started 7th grade with pretty much a flat chest, but by the time 8th grade started, I couldn't button my blouses anymore. What a transformation that was for a tomboy!