A Monday memory....

Remember when.....

There were often comedians who, during their monologues, would sometimes announce, "I'm so old...." This would then prompt the audience to yell out, "How old are you?"

Well, today, my response is: I'm so old that I remember when we celebrated Lincoln's birthday on the 12th of February, then Washington's on the 22nd, their actual birthdays. Each date entitled us to a day off school.  If either day happened to fall on a weekend, well, that was too bad.  There wasn't an extra day off that year.  (And there wasn't a "February Break" from school either back then. I believe that was created in response to the "energy crisis" of the '70's.)

I actually looked forward to these holidays while I was in grammar school.  We would be tasked with writing a report on each President and I would search through either the Britannica or World Book Encyclopedias for information.  Covers were created for these reports using stencils or decals found in the store. Lots of red, white and blue construction paper was used as I recall.

Also, back in the old days, there were no computers on which to type up and print out said assignments.  Starting in the Fifth Grade, you had to copy your final draft using an ink cartridge pen.  I learned to pace myself and not rush this part of the process.  Crossing out was not acceptable, so if you made a mistake, you had to start all over again.

The final step in the whole experience would occur when the teacher had each student stand before the class and read their report aloud.  Fortunately, that was not as frightening a prospect for me as it was for others.  And if you listened carefully to your peers, there was always a chance someone would come up  with some obscure fact you'd never heard before, which you could share at your family dinner table that night.

These two men made enormous contributions to the founding and growth of this country.  I hope the students of today are being given similar assignments so as to discover why these particular men continue to be so revered.