Second Grade
Of course, there were uniforms. There were uniforms from pre-school on to the last year of highschool. They were not voluntary. They had to be kept clean. In fact, we had to keep our bodies clean. Our ears, necks, fingernails were regularly checked and if found less than perfect, we were sent to the potty-room to clean up.
For festive occasions, such as a holiday or inspection, our uniform was somewhat changed. You see that the girl in the front row (actually a friend of mine to this day) is wearing a white pinafore. She made a mistake that day. White pinafores were for special days and picture day was not considered special. Of course, the boys had to have short, regulation cut hair (if it grew too long, they were sent home and not accepted back until the hair was regulation short). The girls had to have their hair neat, short or braided or pulled back. And a white ribbon headband was mandatory. You could not stay in class without one. And of course, the hands had to stay behind our backs when we were listening to the teacher. I think that when the body is still, the mind is more receptive.
One of the most strictly enforced things was the wearing of your “matricola” (your number). This was a piece of cloth, roughly 2 x 3 inches that had the name of the school and your personal number embroidered on it. You had to wear your Matricola from Grade 1 to the end of high school. At the beginning of “general” school and again at the beginning of high-school (grade 9) you received 2-3 copies of this cloth rectangle and you had to affix this securely on your left sleeve half way between your shoulder and your elbow. You had to have this number on your uniform and also on your coat, cardigan or whatever. You could not come to class without one.
This might horrify people that don’t know the system but it served a very good purpose. Knowing that they could be reported by anyone, (by their school and number), students behaved. And nobody thought that it was a violation of his or her rights. A good friend of mine I went to highschool with, reportedly started wearing her matricola again long after highschool was over, just to give the impression that she was a highschool student (to appear younger).
Another thing we had all throughout school (to the end of highschool), was the student’s grade book that each student was issued at the beginning of each grade. It was a small, thin, cloth – bound booklet that each student was required to bring to school every day. You had your name in ink on it. Inside, there were pages for the end of trimester grades for each subject but also pages for regular, every day grades. There were term grades for your general behavior. To get a final trimester grade in a subject, you had to have at least 2-3 individual grades in that subject. An average of the individual grades would give the term grade. And the average of the three term grades in each subject would give the year average in that subject. The average of all subjects would give the final score. And you were ranked by that score. A handful of people at the top would get prizes at the end of the school year. It was a public festivity in which you came in your crisp, pressed uniform and then they called your name and said that you got First Prize, Second Prize, Third Prize or Honorable Mention. All of the prizes and mentions were books. You got more books for a higher prize. They were nicely tied with a ribbon and a flower. You also gave bouquets of flowers to your teachers.
(to be continued)
Of course, there were uniforms. There were uniforms from pre-school on to the last year of highschool. They were not voluntary. They had to be kept clean. In fact, we had to keep our bodies clean. Our ears, necks, fingernails were regularly checked and if found less than perfect, we were sent to the potty-room to clean up.
For festive occasions, such as a holiday or inspection, our uniform was somewhat changed. You see that the girl in the front row (actually a friend of mine to this day) is wearing a white pinafore. She made a mistake that day. White pinafores were for special days and picture day was not considered special. Of course, the boys had to have short, regulation cut hair (if it grew too long, they were sent home and not accepted back until the hair was regulation short). The girls had to have their hair neat, short or braided or pulled back. And a white ribbon headband was mandatory. You could not stay in class without one. And of course, the hands had to stay behind our backs when we were listening to the teacher. I think that when the body is still, the mind is more receptive.
One of the most strictly enforced things was the wearing of your “matricola” (your number). This was a piece of cloth, roughly 2 x 3 inches that had the name of the school and your personal number embroidered on it. You had to wear your Matricola from Grade 1 to the end of high school. At the beginning of “general” school and again at the beginning of high-school (grade 9) you received 2-3 copies of this cloth rectangle and you had to affix this securely on your left sleeve half way between your shoulder and your elbow. You had to have this number on your uniform and also on your coat, cardigan or whatever. You could not come to class without one.
This might horrify people that don’t know the system but it served a very good purpose. Knowing that they could be reported by anyone, (by their school and number), students behaved. And nobody thought that it was a violation of his or her rights. A good friend of mine I went to highschool with, reportedly started wearing her matricola again long after highschool was over, just to give the impression that she was a highschool student (to appear younger).
Another thing we had all throughout school (to the end of highschool), was the student’s grade book that each student was issued at the beginning of each grade. It was a small, thin, cloth – bound booklet that each student was required to bring to school every day. You had your name in ink on it. Inside, there were pages for the end of trimester grades for each subject but also pages for regular, every day grades. There were term grades for your general behavior. To get a final trimester grade in a subject, you had to have at least 2-3 individual grades in that subject. An average of the individual grades would give the term grade. And the average of the three term grades in each subject would give the year average in that subject. The average of all subjects would give the final score. And you were ranked by that score. A handful of people at the top would get prizes at the end of the school year. It was a public festivity in which you came in your crisp, pressed uniform and then they called your name and said that you got First Prize, Second Prize, Third Prize or Honorable Mention. All of the prizes and mentions were books. You got more books for a higher prize. They were nicely tied with a ribbon and a flower. You also gave bouquets of flowers to your teachers.
(to be continued)
Simona Georgescu
