Class of 1990 Week 22

Before the school year all the teachers received some sort of in-service on T notes. This system had students putting a line down their paper and taking notes on one side and then writing questions on the other that related to the notes so that to study you would cover the note side and ask yourself the questions. I didn't like them. But then I didn't like to take any notes because it meant not having my hands folded into my sleeves where they would be kept warm. Miss Kassian went one step beyond requiring T notes to insisting that we divide our notebooks into three columns. One column for notes taken from our text book, the next column was for notes taken from her class lectures, and the third column was for the questions. She required a fixed number of questions and she would grade our notebooks. I did as required but expressed my distain for being forced into a particular style of note taking by exceeding the required number of questions with ones that were irrelevant to the subject of Physics, questions like "why do we have to do these stupid T notes?" and "what is my shoe size?" On Monday of that week she docked me a point on my notes grade for this.

That night we played Minto and just as the game was supposed to start Mom called the school. The roads were looking bad and she wanted me home. So I gave Peggy a five minute lesson on how to keep the book and left. It took twice as long as usual to get home and I never got above 35mph on the roads.

The next day Mom and Dad left for River Falls, Wisconsin to visit Grandma Szedlak on her birthday. I loved having the house to myself. In the evening I would turn on the stereo in the living room and the radio in my bedroom and one in the basement all to the same station and revel in playing loud music in the entire house.

Thursday at school was the volleyball pep rally. A few of the gifts that were given: Jaci got a back line with Mrs. Kappel's face on it. Peggy's on again off again role as a student manager was acknowledged by giving her a switch. Kevin was given a sign for cheering. One side said "Lunch" the other said "You came here to lose!" I got a set of dice to signify that I had developed some superstitious habits over the course of the season, like needing to say "over" three times before anyone on our team served or they wouldn't get the ball over the net.

The last home boy's basketball game of the season was always Parents' night for the seniors. A section of the gym was decorated for the seniors' parents to sit and then at half time of the varsity game the parents' names would be read and their son or daughter would pin a flower on their mother and escort them both to the center of the gym to stand and be looked at until all the other parents were out there.

On Friday we had a brief class meeting to discuss preparations for parents' night the following week.

Mr. Dick: Who is going to ask Mr. Hanson to announce the parents' names?

I shot my hand up.

Mr. Dick: Good Ruth, You'll do it

Me: But he's one of the parents.

Mr. Dick: (sigh) Well I guess that won't work. Didn't think of that.

Jaci (Mr. Hanson's daughter): I didn't even think of that.

Margo: Well it's a good thing someone is thinking.

Mr. Dick: OK, who is going to ask me to announce the parents' names?

Friday night Mom and Dad returned home. I spent most of the weekend watching TV, working on the LYF district Newsletter, and writing Rebecca a letter. Dad was still undecided about the call.

REG

lhg edited and approved.