There were slap fights on the playground, and sometimes we guys would have a “Slap Off” tournament, which involved speed much more than force. These could be fun (if you were winning) until you got down to the end and realized you had to face Todd, the slap champ, who never lost. I carried my brown paper sack lunch to school and would open it to find a note on top. It was from my mother, usually just telling me how much she loved me, sometimes giving commentary about something we had recently seen on TV or read or talked about. My two favorite teachers at the end of elementary school were one who was pregnant that we threw a surprise baby shower for, Mrs Mitchel, and one who told Italian ghetto stories at the beginning of history class, or longer and better ones at the end of class if we were good, Mr Bonanno. A black girl named Patty one time told me I was good looking for a white boy, which I did not really understand, but appreciated anyway. We had to suffer through trying to learn both New Math and the metric system, both subjects that were eventually done away with. One year we were presented with a little boy dressed up as George Washington, and the adults told us he was a distant relative of the first president. He didn’t do anything but stand at attention and look at the class. I attended Monroe from kindergarten through sixth grade, but actually made my first visit as a baby, when my older sister took me to school as her show and tell display. Thanks Ann!