Sentimental Sunday ~ Miss Chambers and The Slide

I can still remember my first year of school.  At long last, I would get to join my older siblings on the daily trek up the sidewalk to school.

This adventure meant new clothes and shoes as well as an abundance of school supplies to stuff into my new school satchel.

My grandfather captured most of our "first day of school" treks with his old 8mm movie camera.

These old home movies were later transferred to VHS tapes then more recently to DVDs.

 





Sicily Island Elementary School was built in the l960s to replace the old three-story school that once stood beside it.

Sicily Island Elementary School - 2011

When I entered elementary school, the building housed classrooms for first through sixth grades.  There was no pre-k or kindergarten.  Following the desegregation of parish schools, the building housed classrooms for first through fourth grades, with fifth through eighth grade classrooms located at Martin Junior High.

Miss Chambers

My first grade teacher was Miss Darris Chambers.  It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized her first name was Darris.  Most adults pronounced it as Doris.  

Looking back with some perspective, Miss Chambers was probably one the best elementary teachers to ever grace the halls of Sicily Island Elementary School.  However, at the time that I entered her first grade class, the only thing I knew for sure was fear.

Miss Chambers was a force to be reckoned with.  She meant business.  When she gave her memorable warning, "I'll chew you up and spit you out the window," few children doubted that she meant it.  Literally.  I was a believer.




Below is a photograph taken in 2011 of the outside of my old first grade classroom and Miss Chamber's domain.

First Grade Class Room - Sicily Island Elementary - 2011

The Slide.  My fear of The Slide ranked up there with my fear of Miss Chambers.

Our first grade playground was separated from the older children.  On this playground stood the tallest slide I had ever seen.  From the ground, the top rung seemed to touch the sky.  I remember wondering which part would be the scariest; standing on the top rung or letting go for the long journey down the slide.

A 2011 trip back to my old first grade playground proved that like my fear of Miss Chambers, a little perspective goes a long way.

The Slide - 2011