Flashback

In a journal entry dated August 15, 1986, Little Stupid Tommy wrote:

Well, my summer is over. School has started. Mrs. Dodgen is my teacher. She's gonna be hard. I have Tregg, Lindsey, Lance and Sam R. and Sam G. in my class.

Yep.

Looking back, fourth grade was kind of hard. We had to use paper shopping bags to cover all our books.

Lindsey and I were separated because he was a bad influence on me and vice-versa.

Margaret Lancaster and I took spelling out of a seventh grade spelling book. I didn't do well at first, but caught on once I figured out I'd need to study for the written tests, which weren't just spelling the word as they were called out.

Those of us who had taken the school trip to Colonial Williamsburg had to make cabins out of popsicle sticks and posterboard. The winning school was to get some sort of prize. I did something wrong in making mine. I used masking tape which was painted over on mine, and that was disallowed. So mine was disqualified, and I didn't get to get part of the prize (which was a pizza party, if I remember). And then, we got to go as a class to see the diorama they made out of all our cabins...whose is featured prominently in the display?

It kind of sucked, and I was bummed for quite a while. I think I got over it just last Tuesday.

We went to the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum for a field trip, and Sam R. and I were paired up, and he later said thank you, because he didn't think anybody would pair up with him. I liked Sam a lot, and was honestly surprised that he didn't think anybody would want to pair up with him.

Fourth grade also marked the fifth straight year I was in class with Sam G.
Every year through grade school, Sam and I were in the same class.

I also got into a fight with Mitchell during recess one day. I had to sit on the sidewalk for a long time.

Further perusing my journal, I remember a kid we called Bubba, who laughed at everything another kid named Steven did. And Bubba never paid attention during math. So one day, while Bubba was at the chalkboard working a problem, Mrs. Dodgen had us all turn and watch the back wall, laughing at something Steven was doing.

I had a Dark Crystal lunchbox.

Weird the things you remember.