Chapter 5

More School Bells

I left Nixon Elementary after that third grade year, and we moved into an old farm house, just outside of Iowa City. We were soon enrolled in school, this time in the Hills system. This was a fun place for me. I made lots of friends like Dawn, Julia, and there were more of course (but I can’t recall them now). But I was really accepted quickly. I excelled there, and that was where for the first time, I was placed in an advanced math class. It was also fun to have my first taste of foreign language. We were being taught Spanish that year, and I really liked that teacher. My creative writing took off with a bang here. I wrote such stories as "The Calbine Cat" (later to become a series of five stories), and also "Teacher Trouble." I was very much devoted to reading during this time, and was always doing it. Another thing I recall was the bus to and from school. At my stop, I was the first to get on, and the last to get off, and I really got to like that, because I really got to become friends with a lot of people, including one with which I would sing on the way home. I can’t recall his name, but the song we were singing was "Do-wa-ditty, ditty-dum, ditty-do..." This school was never anything but fun. But that all would end as I moved half way through the school year, to North Liberty, where I attended Penn Elementary from fourth through sixth grade. This was the first place where I was put into an actual ELP (Extended Learning Program) class. I learned quickly that under the stern rule of the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD), things were much less laid back. This place, for whatever reason, is the place where I began to dislike art classes. Everywhere I’d been before I’d loved them, I’d done well in them. But here, for whatever reason, my talent left. But I did pick up another one. I soon became interested in music, and began playing the violin, and activity which would last nearly seven years, and profit me little, because I was unwilling to put forth an effort into it. But anyway, I also loved the art and PE teachers. This fourth grade year (or rather what remained of it), became mostly just a transition time, to catch up on material that I hadn’t learned, and figure out how this school worked. I really enjoyed the way I was taught here. I was taught a variety of concepts, which gave me a broader base of understanding later on. My fourth grade teacher’s were Ms. Shope (from Hills) and Mrs. Sueppel (from Penn). After fourth grade, we stayed in the same spot. My fifth grade teacher was Mrs. Addink. The unique thing about the ICCSD as opposed to others around it, is the combination of classes. Here, all of the fifth and sixth graders were thrown in together. One thing in particular I remember was the safety patrol. It was trained for during the last week of your fifth grade year, and then you were an official member the following year. I was granted the honor of being a captain, the last of my class (there were only about four of these per year), and I also was awarded the gold badge for outstanding service. This sixth grade year was a fun one. My teacher was now Mrs. Light. One of the biggest things about this year was a visit from author Brian Jacques, who wrote (well actually is still writing) the Redwall series. But I just fell in love with his books, his style, his everything, and to this day I still read him. At this school, I had more friends on staff than ever before. I swear the librarian liked me most of all, partially because that’s where I spent most of my time. We also switched to another ELP teacher this year, Mr. Petersen. This year was marked by continued excellation in my math, reading, and science skills. At the end of the year, the sixth graders take a pre-algebra evaluation test, to see which math class they will be placed in the following year. I scored the highest in the entire district. During this time, I also began my sports career by playing baseball in the North Liberty Little League. I played for the Mets, who got first place both years that I played. I also began to develop my friendships farther. I began to be a counselor to the students here, listening to others’ problems and helping them as I could. I also discovered that I finally had some true friends who really would be there for me if I ever needed anything, and that is a great feeling. These years were great ones, filled with memories. Of course there were bad times, but when I look back, the good is all I see.