(Grades 1 through 8)
Every school, at every level was state run. There were no private ones. There was no middle school or junior high. The first 8 years you were in one of the numbered “general” schools and then you went to high school. You went to the school that was closest to you. You couldn’t choose. Generally, all “general” schools were within walking distance from home. There were no school buses. And I don’t remember parents driving their children to school.
My school was Ă56. It was located in a nice park and it took me about 10 minutes to get there. We walked to and from school, sometimes with colleagues, sometimes alone. There was no danger. No deranged pedophiles, no speeding cars, nothing. And school was Monday thorough Saturday, generally for 6 hours. And because we walked, school was never interrupted because of snow, storm or whatever. We did not have lunch or snacks in school. If we wanted, we could take a little tidbit to munch on, from home.
The classes were rather large (38-42) and designated by grade and letter. For instance I was in Grade 1 A. There were also Grade 1 B, Grade 1 C, and so on. Groups that were formed in Grade 1 stayed together until the end of Grade 8. So I started in Grade 1 A and ended in Grade 8 A with the same bunch of people. People were not moved from class to class every year, nor did they wish to. This promoted a very good cohesion among the students.
All classrooms were rectangular with windows along one of the long sides. Opposite the windows, the wall sported one or more large, roll-up maps. Along the back wall there were hangers. There were no lockers. The classrooms had 3 rows of 7-8 wooden desks. Each desk had 2 seats. You could pick a seat or one was assigned to you. You had to keep that seat all year unless the teacher asked you to move. Sometimes, a less bright student would choose to sit in the back. The teacher could move him/her to the front. Or one better student would be paired with a poorer student to help him/her out.
The desks were not movable and the seats were permanently attached to the desk. You had a very fixed place that you called your own. There was space under the desk (like a drawer) in which you kept your book bag. You were held responsible for keeping your desk clean. In the first grades, we had to have a white cloth covering for our desk. That was probably meant to make us extremely aware of being neat. Take into consideration that in grade 2 or 3 we had to bring inkpots and write with old-fashioned pens with nibs that were dipped in ink every 2-3 letters. We even had to take calligraphy.
(to be continued)
Simona Georgescu
