Chapter 7 - The Big Fall -- Fourth Grade

1954 - 1955

     Our fourth grade began upstairs in the Clinton Inn and switched to the basement of Ann Arbor House for the rest of the year. I don’t know why. Shall we show another photo of Ann Arbor House? This will account for the half-year of the two and a half years spent in the little house, if you’re counting.

Robert Frost House in 2014

(We had half of 4th grade in the basement)

     My good friend Andy remembers that fourth grade began in Ann Arbor House and ended in the Clinton Inn, so perhaps that is the correct order. I’m sure it doesn’t matter and we agree that we spent the school year split between the two buildings and we don’t know why.

The Eagle Tavern in 2014

(We had half of 4th grade upstairs)

     We must have begun the school year by learning to add the words “under God” to our Pledge of Allegiance. The bill to amend was signed into law in June of 1954, so in September when school began this must have been one of our assignments. I don’t remember that it was fourth grade when this happened but I do remember the awkwardness of learning to add the two words to the Pledge of Allegiance.

     I was often sick with low-grade virus infections and missed school. The doctor wanted to take out my tonsils but said I was too anemic for the operation. He recommended that my parents take me to a warm climate to get healthy. The concept must have agreed with other family needs at the time because we took our first trip to Florida and met up with my grandparents. My grandfather was very ill and was recovering in the warm weather. It was the first airplane ride for my brother and me, and I remember being reassured by the cardboard poster in front of every seat. It showed hundreds of cartoon people and said “Millions have flown safely. You can too.” I kept my eyes on it every time the propeller airplane air-stream-bumped. Though there was a lot of homework, I could do it on the sunny beach and the whole Florida experience was very exciting. I collected lots of seashells and brought home a shark’s tooth for every classmate.

     Fourth grade was the year of my Big Fall off the ladder in the playground. I acquired a scar just below my lower lip and another inside my cheek but you can’t see that one. The playground behind Ann Arbor House included a ladder-type monkey bar. One of my routine moves was to climb on top of it, grab a rung with both hands and swing myself through to hang under the ladder. One day I began my routine move but forgot to use my hands, thus diving head-first into the dirt below. My child-memory was that I was put in a chair in Ann Arbor House basement with pints of dirt-covered blood pouring from my mouth while my teacher and the school principal calmly observed and discussed whether or not to call my mother. Believing my life blood was rapidly flowing out of my body, I distinctly remember thinking “Are you nuts?! CALL HOME!” But I couldn't talk because of the blood. Eventually, Principal Stroebel himself drove me home and I remember that his car became bloody which I’m sorry to report gave me some minor satisfaction since he had taken so long to make a decision. I’m embarrassed to report that when my mother took me to Dr. Runge’s office, I made such a fuss over his plan to put in a few stitches that both the doctor and my mother finally backed down. I was allowed to have the lifetime pleasure of a scar inside my cheek and below my outer lip rather than suffer the brief agony of stitches. In retrospect I think I made a fine decision.

      The sum total of my fourth grade academic memory is learning the times tables.

     The biggest surprise took place at the end-of-the-year picnic which was a lot of fun. Our parents came, and we played all kinds of racing games which I loved, including the three-legged race and a race jumping in a brown cloth potato sack. Miss Rodgers smiled while talking to my parents and made a positive comment about me. I didn’t know she could smile nor harbor a kind thought. (She was my least-favorite teacher.)