The '70's
No, not that 70's show.
By the 1970's flower power, elephant pants, go-go boots, "mod", "rad" colors/designs had made it to my corner of the Midwest.
The '70's were, for the most part, my elementary school/junior high years. I was more concerned with fitting in socially than knowing anything about Watergate, the returning Vietnam veterans, etc.
Fitting in socially was probably the biggest struggle during this decade. My lack of social skills along with being dropped into the middle of an ultra (I mean ULTRA) conservative piece of the heartland (think round peg for square hole) made this an on-going task. I had one best friend, Wendy, who was awesome. I'm not sure I would have made it through elementary without her. We still talk/email sometimes. For some of the rest of the kids, especially the boys, I had something like "t a r g e t" written on my forehead. I really don't remember the catalyst that brought about soooo much teasing from 1st grade until the last years of high school. True, I was horribly shy and had no social skills but there were other kids with virtually no social skills that weren't such targets. I wasn't particuarly ugly. I usually had decent clothes. For years this merciless teasing effected my relationships with men, particularly men my age. I gravitated toward those 10+ years older. Now they are all old men so I'm giving my peers a 2nd look!
Home wasn't horrible. Between Kindergarten and 1st grade we moved to a newly remodeled home on a nearby farm. Compared to our earlier house, this was a nice step up. We had new carpet, some new furniture, more room and I think it was heated better. Everything was in 70's greens and oranges of course. I don't think I had as much anxiety in this house as I did in the other one. Something about the memories of the 'new' house are more positive and calming than the one's from the 'old' house.
Wendy and a few other friends came over occasionally. My mom was always pretty willing to let someone come to play and sometimes sleep over. This led to less isolation than my earlier childhood did.
Reading became my escape beginning about as soon as I learned to do it. My parents bought a set of encyclopedias (1974 version, I believe) that I have read cover to cover. More than once. I loved the library.
My first grade teacher was kind of a scary, cold woman. Overall, though, I think she treated me well. I didn't get alot of warmth/nurturing from her but I think the fact that I worked my way into the top reading group impressed her. (I think because I was so quiet and socially inadept, people thought I was stupid for a long time). 2nd grade with Mrs. Fos***n was worse. She made me cry at least once but I don't remember why. I'm sure she's dead now because she had to be 60 something when she taught me. Mrs. Larsen. 3rd grade. Probably my overall favorite teacher, although high school would bring others I really liked. She read Laura Ingalls Wilder books to the class after lunch. She did have a warmth that many others of her generation seemed not to. All of my teachers were over 50 until I was in the 5th grade......although that is from my perspective now. They were older than my mom at least, but Kdg. and 1st teachers may have only been about the age I am now....choke, choke, cough.
5th grade brought Mr. **rn and Miss ***la**. My friend and I made up semi-pornographic stories about them....we were sure they were 'doin' it'. They may actually have been. He was married at the time but I found out within the past 10 years, he divorced his wife and ran off with another fellow teacher---a young one just out of college. She was in her 20's, he was in his 50's. **rn and ***la** were young in the 1970's though and this was a nice change from the fairly elderly ladies I had had up until then.
