Second Grade

July 23, 1992

To Joe: soon to be teaching 2nd grade.

Dad and I were trying to dredge up memories of our days in the primary grades. Your Dad went to Queen Anne’s public school located near L.A. High School.  The Martini’s had built a large house on Rimpau Blvd. where son Michael was raised until the depression forced them to move to a smaller house on Maryland Drive, near Fairfax and Wilshire.      This required a change of school and he was enrolled in Cathedral Chapel Catholic School and promoted to 3rd grade, 2nd semester. So he only spent one semester in 2nd grade.   He claims he was such a good reader in first grade that he was asked to go read to the kindergarten children.  Your Dad tells a primary grade story about wanting to go to the boys’ bathroom but being afraid to ask to leave the room.  So he solved his problem by deciding if he peed in his pants it would go down his leg, into his sock and shoe and no one would know! Oops!

My memories of second grade are mostly negative. We had an art teacher who looked at my art work and said you will never be an artist. No talent! I remember my second grade teacher at Little Flower Catholic School – Sr. Mark. She was so MEAN. One day the entire class was being punished for something most of us had NOT done.   I was born with a perpetual smile on my face. Wow, did Sr. Mark get upset! Elaine, you do not smile when you are being punished! [ed: I found the above holy card. Was it written by Sr. Mark?]

I wasn’t too happy with my mother in regard to my First Communion.   She did not believe that a first grader was old enough to make their communion before age 7 (although most of my class were preparing for this). Mother made me wait a year.  I was one of the older and smarter second graders but had to spend l hour daily with the first graders while we prepared for First Holy Communion.  I was so embarrassed! It must be difficult emotionally for children held back a grade in school.

I  guess I have mixed feelings regarding my son Joe’s chosen profession. I know many men are now going into the teaching profession on the elementary school level; but this has been a woman’s field at least during my early lifetime. I find it hard to adjust to the non-stereotype of work: e.g. male nurses, women doctors, lawyers, politicians etc. With divorce so prevalent, I tell myself  that many elementary age children in today’s world have no father figure and my son will be a psychological help to many young people. I feel that he would have made a great pediatrician as his Dad, and God willing, he’ll probably be a great father. But in the future I’ll praise my  son and never let him read this last paragraph!