Kindergarten

I feared going to school the first day. The school was nearby, and I knew how to get there--I thought. I would go through my back yard, go to the corner, and turn right. But I worried about it.

I worried more about the new outfit my mother had bought me. It had short pants and straps with buttons. I feared that if I had to go to the bathroom, I could not open my pants. I worried that yes, I would have to go to the bathroom.

In school…yes, I had to go to the bathroom! But the teacher, perhaps Miss Smith, noticed my look of pain and unhappiness-and asked me if she could take me to the bathroom. I said yes, and she helped me.

Bless you, Miss Smith.
***
But she left me back. Maybe I shall explain why in a subsequent post. (I did skip the 1-b. I recall Miss Horowitz, the first-grade teacher, bringing in the kindergarten teachers to see who was skipping, and Miss Smith's look of amazxement at seeing that I was skipping. I hope she also noticed, years later, that I graduated second in my high school class.)