Dash off A Memory/School Days Growing Up

Here's Dorothy Ann Skarles, my Friday guest blogger, with another lesson on Memoir. 

What do you remember about your school days? 

Dorothy has memories a plenty.

School Days Growing Up



by Valerie R

What I remember about my school days—is moving. I never went to the same school twice.

Daddy always used to say, "Pumpkin, traveling is the best education you can get." And we sure did travel the US map.

No matter where we lived, when the magic month of April rolled around and Daddy got itchy feet, he would say, "Mama, let's get Dorothy Ann and go to..." And right then and there, I would be taken out of school and not taken back until the snow hit in November.

For Daddy, having a new business was pleasure—work, save, buy, have a quick sell, and move on. Then like the song, "Mama always said there would be days like this," Mama smiled at Daddy and me and answered, "Give me time to pack and we’ll go anywhere Daddy goes, as long as I have room for my waffle iron in the car."

And even though I’ve grown some, I guess I inherited Daddy’s itchy feet, because I still believe traveling is the best education you can get. With each change, I had opportunity to learn and get to know how the other half lives. While I faced challenges from all those lessons I missed from April to November in school, I still made it to college, and earned a teacher’s degree.

by Giampado Macorig

So what can you conjure up from your school days to Dash Off A Memory for your memoir?

1. Did you stay in the same school, or go to different schools?
2. Were you a good student? If not, why not? What subjects were hard for you?
3. Do you have the same friends from grade school, high school and college? If not, how come? (I did have one before she passed away very young.)
4. Did you go on to college? If not, why not?
5. Did you like grade school.  Why, or why not?

I liked to learn and go to school, but it was hard because of what I missed. On the other hand, being a kid when the month of May came, I knew I’d grow anxious for April to hurry on up and do its magic. Get my Daddy’s itchy feet antsy to move on to something bigger and better, which it always did. Then all at once, it would be summer and winter vacation time for me. I could hardly wait to get out of school to see where we’d go next.

Dorothy Ann Skarles.

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Thanks Dorothy!