Learning to Dance in the Fourth Grade

We were in the fourth grade and a special teacher was there to teach us to dance. Our first lesson was the box step. We were matched up with young boys or two girls when there were not enough boys to go around. Our arms on his shoulder, his hand at our waist, and then we were off, one, two, three four, one, two, three four, drawing a square on the floor to the time of the music. I remember being embarrassed at how sweaty my palms were, or maybe it was his. His name was Gary; my first dance partner. I was so concentrated on looking at my feet I barely looked up. The teacher kept repeating the numbers and the music matched her cadence in perfect harmony.

Elementary school was more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. We learned social skills, team work, hygiene, and etiquette.  Our teachers were respected and our manners were not perfect but our pranks were innocent in the big scheme. We would pass notes along to our friends, giggle at someone’s’ mistake, and draw doodles on our notebooks.

It’s funny the things that you remember but I remember particular things about Mrs. F.  She was quite plump, with sparse white hair so that you could see her very pink scalp. Her face was very blemished and she would constantly reach into her bottom side draw of the desk and powder her face. To me she looked like a clown. She also was putting lotion on all the time. She spent as much time opening her side drawer as she did teaching. She was a nice teacher, but to my eyes, her ways were strange. She wore glaring red lipstick on her pale face and would check it with her little mirror, again stashed in her side draw. I don’t remember what I learned in fourth grade, aside learning to dance, but I do remember well her funny habits and side drawer booty.