What I Remember — From Kindergarten (1956–1957)

Drawing by Jeff Mosher

I’ve heard it said that a child remembers nothing from his or her first three years. I’ve also heard it said that old people like myself — I turned 73 recently — remember more about their youth than they do about last week. Thus, as I prepare to attend my 55th high-school reunion of the class of 1969 later this summer, I thought it might be interesting to see what I actually remember from those early years, kindergarten through twelfth grade in the Catholic schools I attended in upstate New York. Since I don’t honestly remember much from that first year of school, I thought I would post my vague memories, and perhaps they might stir up the memories of others who graduated during that same era.

Honestly, I think I only have two memories from that first year: one vague and one a bit more specific. As I recall, we had a full day kindergarten, and our classroom was in the basement on the southwest corner of the building where, ironically, we would convene again for religion, geography, and English classes as high-school freshmen. I’m sure I learned a lot during kindergarten, and I’m sure I had fun with all my new friends, but all I can really remember is lying down on the floor every day after lunch for a nap. I think we each had a blanket or a sleeping pad of some sort, but even if we were on the bare concrete, I know I always slept soundly. To this day, I still…