At Greene Street I had a whole new set of classmates in home room 7-4, many
of whom stayed together in both home room and in many courses throughout junior
and senior high school. We were considered the elite section of the academic course
enrollment, the students having been chosen on the basis of their scholastic
achievement in elementary school. (My sixth grade final average was 97 3/8 but it
was never to be equalled again!)
My first home-room teacher was Mrs. Dorothy Schaidt. Svelte, well-groomed,
rather attractive, Mrs. Schaidt kept her squirming, pubescent or near-pubescent
charges in check with her quick manner and her sharp voice and cultivated accent.
Mrs. Schaidt was also our music and art teacher. These were new subjects to
me and from the start I was enthusiastic about them. I looked forward to our weekly
music class when I heard recordings of serious music and listened, engrossed, to Mrs.
S’s commentary. Grieg’s “Pier Gynt Suite" and Tsaichowsky’s “Nutcracker Suite,"
both new to me, enthralled me. Operatic soprano Rosa Ponsell and some boy soprano
were two of the vocalists I recall. I enjoyed the group singing of “songs of our
musical heritage." It was the beginning of my lifelong love of music, including
participation, to the extent of my limited talents, in musical activities. From the
outset, I received A in Music on my report card.
(It must be apparent that my report cards were saved. I must say they are an
interesting retrospective on a significant period of my education. However, analysing
them is mainly for my personal gratification - or self-torture. So, reader, if my report
card discussions bore you, don’t feel guilty if you feel inclined to groan and quickly
turn the page.)
Art classes were fun but not creatively demanding since everyone was
assigned the same project The only advantage of this was that even though I was not
especially creative, I still managed to make A all that year. But looking at it more
positively, maybe Mrs. Schaidt simply brought out the best in me.
Physical Education and Industrial Arts were also new school subjects.
Considering my meager interest and ability in sports, it is a wonder that I ended the
year with a B - perhaps Coach Eugene Hopkins saw that I was at least trying.
Industrial Arts that first year was an introduction to mechanical drawing. I enjoyed
the course, in spite of my ineptitude for drawing real three-dimensional solid figures
on paper of only two dimensions. Ernie Kieffer, who had a mechanical bent,
sometimes helped me at home and I managed to earn a B from our instructor, Albert
Loper. With the exception of C+ in mathematics (I later improved), I made A’s and
B’s for my final marks that year. Whether I realized it or not, I had made a successful
transition between two radically different scholastic environments.
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