Once my mom graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree she needed to find something to do. The small northeastern Iowa town with a population of 500 had very little to offer. She ended up finding a program in Des Moines where she could continue her education and work in a local hospital as well.
The summer of 1985 seemed to go by quickly as we packed up our belongings to prepare for our move to Des Moines. I was entering the sixth grade. In the small town community where I had lived, the sixth grade was still in elementary school. I had approximately 23 kids in my class and I had been attending school with these kids since the first grade. (My kindergarten year was in a different school district. As you’ll recall, we moved into town the summer before my first grade year.)
I found out that sixth grade in Des Moines was considered junior high…although back then they called it Transitional School. Now I think they refer to it as Middle School. Here, I would have a locker for the first time. I had to switch rooms for classes. There were two floors! I remember my mom telling me if the room number starts with a “one” it’s on the first floor and if it starts with a “two” it’s on the second floor. Wow, that’s clever!
This school was so overwhelming for me. Several elementary schools made up a middle school. So while not all the kids knew each other, I knew none of them. I was so shy back then. I had no idea how I was going to find my classes. Who would I sit with at lunch? How would I make friends?
Somehow I made it through middle school relatively scar-free. No wonder they called it Transitional….think of all the changes we go through during those formative years. Yikes!
As I was preparing to enter high school, my mom was unhappy with conditions at her place of work. While I think she liked her job, she needed a change of venue.
I started high school in Des Moines, but by October of 1988, we were packing our belongings again. This time, we would move several states away…
January 10, 2009 at 8:03 am |
HAHAHA ok I am from Cville and I wouldn’t have asked you if you grew corn in your living room! HA that’s just sad. We need more $$ for education!