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Even though it has been decades since I was a student, June is still that magical time when school lets out for the year, and the whole summer stretches ahead of us.
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I clearly recall that delicious anticipation of the last day of school being equal to the wait for Christmas to finally arrive. Because we had “snow days” in winter that kept us home for several days, those days were added back to the June school calendar. We were never sure exactly when the last day of school would be, but it always seemed to coincide with a heat wave that left our un-air conditioned classroom literally giving off steam. Our poor teacher had to deal with a roomful of antsy, sweaty kids who just couldn’t stop watching the clock and waiting for the final bell of the year.
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I was a good student, but also one of the antsy ones. My mom was regularly called to meet with the principal to discuss my pushing kids out of line for the bus so I could ride in the seat behind the driver. Why I thought that seat was so precious, I have no idea, but I absolutely had to sit there on the last day of school. The seniors here at Live Oak Adult Day Services got a kick out of that story, but they also vividly remember that special feeling of being free for the summer. “Everybody was waiting and waiting for that day!” laughs Paul. He liked school, even though he says he had a lot of mean teachers over the years. Mrs. Jones, his third grade teacher was the nicest, and he’s never forgotten her more than seventy years later. The best part of summer vacation was working on the ranch, and helping his dad care for the animals.
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Lenny and Ann grew up here in town and have known each other for years. They both have a slightly different memory of the last day of school. As Lenny says, “When school let out for the summer, it was time for me to go to work in the fields.” Ann agreed, telling us that her dad would come to school with a change of clothes for her and her sisters, then off they went to pick cucumbers, garlic, tomatoes, strawberries, and black walnuts. She recalls with a shiver that cucumbers were the worst, because they have little prickles that scratch the skin and make you itch. Lenny picked fruit and vegetables all summer long, sighing, “There was no rest for the wicked!” He did have one funny memory of the last day of school, when a classmate named Cathy was picked up at the curb by her boyfriend, and as the car door was opened the song, “Cathy’s Clown” blared. Lenny laughed so hard that the boyfriend said, “You’re in trouble, I know which way you walk home,” so Lenny took a different route that day.
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Mary says that there were no nearby fields where she grew up near Pasadena, but her mom died when she and her sister were very young, so they spent the summer keeping house for their dad. “It was a privilege, not a burden,” she says. He would take some vacation days off and they would go on a little trip. Her favorite was a trip to Texas to visit relatives there. She was a good student and actually really liked school, so it wasn’t a big celebration when school ended. She fondly recalls her favorite teacher, Mrs. Pitt. “She was strict, but kind and she took the time to fully explain things. She didn’t expect us to grasp ideas right away, and that makes a difference to kids.”
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One of our seniors, Jenny, has five children. Three of them are teachers. She is so proud of this fact that she tells us about them every day. As much as kids can’t wait for that last day of school, I think back to those teachers who had to cope with us as we squirmed and giggled in anticipation of our coming freedom. What patience they displayed! Let’s all thank the teachers in our communities as they finish out another school year. Hopefully they don’t have to spend the summer itching and scratching while picking cucumbers!
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Cheryl Huguenor is the program director at Live Oak Adult Day Services, 651 W. Sixth St. #2, Gilroy. For more information about Live Oak call (408) 847-5491 or visit liveoakadultdaycare.org.
