Telling my Story: Skipping through the Primary Grades

My twin brother told his wife that in most pictures of us during our early childhood, we were holding hands. This is just one example when we were about 5 years old. Since we're dressed up and standing in front of our grandparents' house in Hoisington, KS, we must have been on our way to Sunday School. I'm so grateful to have been raised in a Christian home and to have attended Sunday School and Church every Sunday. After Dad remarried, our Mom read our lesson to us every Saturday night and helped us learn a Bible verse for the lesson on Sunday morning. Phyllis had grown up in a home where her family went fishing each Sunday and she was extremely happy, after her marriage, to be in a family who attended church regularly. 

It's great that my Dad kept this Sunday School lesson from
Feb. 1957. Each week Mom helped us memorize
the "Bible Words to Remember" on the back page.

Some of my memories from attending school at Morrison School follow.

Mrs. Pearl Dodd was Principal at Morrison School 
until I was in the 6th grade. She also taught 5th 
grade in the mornings when I was in 5th grade.

Kindergarten teacher: Miss Aileen Williams 

• I knew how to tie shoes and sat on the floor as the class paired up to learn how to tie a bow. My partner was Dennis and I showed him how to tie his shoes.
• I remember how much I enjoyed painting with Tempura paint on the big easels in our classroom.
• I played the tambourine when we had music time with instruments.
• I was stung by a wasp one morning as I was leaving the classroom. One of the mothers who was there to pick up her child put tobacco from her cigarette on the sting. It helped stop the stinging sensation. 

First Grade teacher: Miss Reba Hay

Miss Reba Hay is at far left front row. She was much older when
I was in her class. Her hair was bright white in 1953-4!

• I cried the first day of school when my mom left me there. I always experienced "separation anxiety" in my younger years.
• I loved learning to write the alphabet and learning to read. 
• We had easel chalk boards at home so one day my brother picked up some chalk in our classroom and brought it home so we had chalk for our own chalkboards. Yes, that brought a hard spanking for Dennis. Our parents didn't swat with their hands, or a ruler or wooden spoon. Their "tool" was a board that was 3 feet long, 2 inches wide and 1/4" thick. It was kept in a "broom closet" (the space above the stairway), so when that closet door opened, we shuddered!

Second Grade teacher: Miss Delores Temple

Becky Margheim at Will Rogers Shrine in Colorado Springs,
CO. Oct 1954 while in Second Grade.

• The only two things I remember about second grade are that I was ill quite often, weighed 47 pounds as a result, and thought the young, slender Miss Temple was beautiful. And she had a sister named Shirley. 

Third Grade teacher: Mrs. Jean Nossaman 

• Mrs. Nossman read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to us.
• She got pneumonia during the school year and for several months our substitute was Mrs. Magill. 



SRA Reading Lab

• Part of our curriculum in 3rd grade was the SRA Reading system. I loved it and learned a LOT about birds that year!
• Dennis and I played parts in our 3rd grade Thanksgiving play about the Pilgrims. That was our first experience on stage in a school play. 

I'll share more about grades 4, 5, and 6 in future posts. Here are a few more photos from our lives during 1952-1956. 

Easter, April 1956, 3rd grade

Ernest, Phyllis, Dennis and Becky
Margheim at Easter 1954

I'll close with this keepsake from December 1953 as Dennis and I served as Ring Bearer and Flower Girl at our Aunt LaVerna Margheim's wedding. I loved wearing that dress and thought I was a real princess that day. Aunt LaVerna had helped Grandma care for us at their home 1949-1952 so I knew her well and loved her very much. It was such a privilege to have been her little Flower Girl.