First Grade

When I started school my first year in school I had no idea what my name was. I had never heard of Richard Briley. In fact I didn’t know it was customary to have three names. I had a nickname that I was accustomed to and I thought that was my name.

The letters AU together represent Gold in the periodic table. But it was my name or so I thought and was short for, “Hey You!” Not only did I not know my real name but I didn’t know anything else. I never heard of the ABC’s nor did I know how to count to 10.

If my shoes came untied during school they stayed that way until I got home. Because no one taught me how to tie my shoes. Kids have to be taught and if ignored then they go around empty headed such as it was with me on the first day of school.

I blame my mother really because she divorced my Dad and remarried and I wasn’t a priority. I remember being confused and shocked on the first day of school when my Mother told the teacher his name is Richard Briley.

On that first day of school our names were written on a section of poster boards and scattered throughout the classroom. The teacher asked us to find our names. I just stood there lost and confused. When all the others had picked up their names. The teacher pointed to my name on the ledge.

“Richard,” she said. Your name is over there. “You’re the last one.” It’s like throwing someone who can’t swim into the deep end of the pool and saying sink or swim. I wasn’t the only child to experience this shock in society.

Some kids who never spoke a word of English have been placed in schools where English was spoken in classrooms. I can’t imagine that kind of a shock. Somehow they start absorbing information very quickly.

Likewise I started behind everyone else but ended up learning something before the school year was out. When I became a parent I made a conscious effort to teach my children long before they went into preschool.

They knew their names, address, parents full name, phone numbers, abc’s, could count to 100. Then some very basic mathematics including how to count money. They didn’t start school with a completely empty head like I did.
They could even tie their own shoes.

Likewise when my grandson came along I had applied the same principles to him. I had him reading 20 or 30 books a day by the time he was 4 years old. Today he’s about to graduate from High School this May.

In all fairness what I experienced helped me be a better parent than I would’ve been. It made me make learning a priority with my children. It took effort but as a parent it was my reasonable service and it was well worth it.

My favorite quote is, “Education is the road to prosperity.” I don’t know where I heard that said or if I just made it up but it’s true. You need knowledge to get from point A in life to point B then all the way to Z.

Invest in your children. Go to their schools and try to show up at open houses at school. Meet their teachers, look over their work on the bulletin board. Go to their games and concerts. Be there….

My Mother came the first day of school and she showed up on graduation day. Everything in between she was absent. I’ve often wondered what if I had started on the starting line like all the other kids instead of being a half mile behind? Like I said all wasn’t lost. It made me be a better parent and grandparent.