{"id":60,"date":"2011-06-05T15:19:49","date_gmt":"2011-06-05T19:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=60"},"modified":"2025-04-23T14:41:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T18:41:48","slug":"chapter-8-fifth-grade-follies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=60","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 8: Fifth-Grade Fanfare"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>A Year of Big-Screen Blockbusters<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1425\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1425\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1425 size-full\" title=\"Rocky\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/rocky.jpg\" alt=\"Rocky\" width=\"400\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/rocky.jpg 400w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/rocky-300x213.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sylvester Stallone in the 1976 film<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>I enjoyed my open-on-the-top desk in Mrs. Greaux&#8217;s class.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A new girl, Barbara T, arrived about a month into the school year.<\/p>\n<p>I went to Mrs. Greaux and asked if I could move my desk next to Barbara\u2019s so I could try to make her feel welcome and be her friend.<\/p>\n<p>She and I palled around that year and even hung out sometimes after school.<\/p>\n<p>Loft 145 contained two third grade and two fourth grade classes. I remember thinking the third graders looked really young. Meanwhile, the fifth and sixth graders appeared so much more mature and sophisticated.<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"276\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"auto\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"196\"><strong>Hot Line<br \/>\n<\/strong>The Sylvers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"196\"><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375886788807\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Sylvers-Hot-Line.mp3\">Hot Line &#8211; <strong>the Sylvers<\/strong><\/a><strong><textarea class=\"map_params\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure id=\"attachment_547\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-547\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-547\" title=\"King Kong Movie Poster 1976\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/king_kong_1976_front.jpg\" alt=\"King Kong Movie Poster (Wikipedia)\" width=\"400\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/king_kong_1976_front.jpg 350w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/king_kong_1976_front-213x300.jpg 213w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-547\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">King Kong Movie Poster (Wikipedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One time, there was a dance contest when you had to get a partner and choose a song and choreograph some sort of routine for our and Mr. Kelly\u2019s classes.<\/p>\n<p>Barbara picked out some boring oldie of her mom&#8217;s, <em>Stoned Love<\/em> by the Supremes.<\/p>\n<p>I, of course, would have preferred the popular song <em>Hot Line<\/em> (even <em>Boogie Fever<\/em> would have done it).\u00a0Our \u201croutine\u201d sucked. My heart wasn\u2019t in it and I knew it stunk.<\/p>\n<p>Another time, we had to make papier-mache puppets and put on a show for the younger grades.<\/p>\n<p>I made two dogs, a father and a son, out of paper bags, in the garage.\u00a0Dad gave me the shellac to use. I wrote the play myself and presented it. I recall one line from the play: &#8220;Dad? Do dogs eat worms?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another day, Mrs. Greaux asked each of us to tell the class what kind of animal we wanted to be.\u00a0Upon announcing that I wanted to be a deer, she piped up and criticized my choice.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<strong><em>Why<\/em> <\/strong>would you want to be a deer?! What about hunters? And cars on the roads?&#8221;\u00a0I was confused. Why was <strong><em>my<\/em> <\/strong>choice any riskier or objectionable than my classmates&#8217;\u2014say, even those who wanted to be dogs, cats, rabbits or elephants, for that matter?<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>Love Hangover<br \/>\n<\/strong>Diana Ross<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375803423844\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Diana-Ross-Love-Hangover.mp3\">Diana Ross &#8211; Love Hangover<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1433\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1433\" style=\"width: 334px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1433 size-full\" title=\"Carter-Mondale 1976\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Carter_Mondale_1976.jpg\" alt=\"Carter-Mondale campaign button\" width=\"334\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Carter_Mondale_1976.jpg 334w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Carter_Mondale_1976-300x296.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1433\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carter-Mondale campaign button<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The 1976 election found me rooting for Jimmy Carter, and was happy one morning when Mom announced up the stairs, \u201cCarter won!\u201d\u00a0We both cheered at the news. It was my first real emotional involvement in anything political, save for the times Cousin Ralph ran for NJ Governor.<\/p>\n<p>The second time, in 1977, Ralph had the clear edge over Brendan Byrne in the primary.<\/p>\n<p>Jim Florio threw his hat into the ring at the last minute, splitting the Italian vote.\u00a0This provided Byrne a handy ticket to another 4 years in office. Marvin Gaye\u2019s <em>Got To Give It Up\u00a0<\/em>was popular at the time.<\/p>\n<p>That fall, we went to Loews on Route 18 as a family to see the new version of <em>King Kong<\/em> with Jeff Bridges, and also <em>Rocky<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Mom had gone to see <em>Jaws<\/em>, rated &#8220;R&#8221; with good reason, the previous year with Mrs. Schiffman.<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" width=\"300\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td rowspan=\"2\" width=\"60\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"auto\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"414\"><strong>Sky High<br \/>\n<\/strong>Jigsaw<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375886788807\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Jigsaw-Sky-High.mp3\">Jigsaw &#8211; Sky High<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>For my 10th birthday, Nana gave me a grand piano jewelry music box that played <em>Sunrise, Sunset<\/em> (which I still have).\u00a0We had a huge family party at Farrell\u2019s Ice Cream Parlor at the Mall. We all shared a giant ice cream \u201cZoo\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>I also got a <em>Fidget<\/em> toy, <em>Tricky Mickey Magic Colorforms<\/em>, and a deer decanter for the Avon fragrance \u201cSweet Honesty\u201d from my parents.<\/p>\n<h3>Mom &amp; Dad: Santa?<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1105\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1105\" style=\"width: 539px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1105 size-full\" title=\"Our Christmas bounty\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/christmas2.jpg\" alt=\"Our Christmas bounty\" width=\"539\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/christmas2.jpg 539w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/christmas2-300x295.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1105\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our Christmas bounty (circa &#8217;72-&#8217;73)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Christmas 1976 was fun. \u201cYou Don\u2019t Have To Be A Star\u201d by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. was popular.\u00a0That day, we went up to Uncle Johnny\u2019s new house in Fairfield.\u00a0I had a blow-up reindeer, and remember the amazing cache of toys our cousins John, Gina and Peter had.<\/p>\n<p>That was the year Steven\u00a0and I got a little <a title=\"Pinball Machine\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/classic-toys\/pinball.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pinball machine<\/a>.\u00a0I believe that was also the year I got <em>Baby Alive<\/em>.\u00a0Once the singular fascination of mixing up the gel-like &#8220;food&#8221; and kicking off the mechanical &#8220;eating &#8211; pooping&#8221; mechanism wore off, that was that.<\/p>\n<p>Mom and Dad made every Christmas special; there was always a bounty under the tree.\u00a0They didn\u2019t go nuts achieving this, and we didn\u2019t expect the priciest stuff at Toys \u2018R Us either.\u00a0That didn&#8217;t stop us from perusing the annual catalog; however, like every other kid in the known universe.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1109\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1109\" style=\"width: 371px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1109 \" title=\"Dad gets a new nightstand clock for Christmas\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/dad-clock-christmas.jpg\" alt=\"Dad gets a new nightstand clock for Christmas\" width=\"371\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/dad-clock-christmas.jpg 501w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/dad-clock-christmas-291x300.jpg 291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 371px) 100vw, 371px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1109\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dad gets a new nightstand clock for Christmas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Christmas morning, Steven and I would anxiously await the signal to come out of our rooms and go downstairs to see all the presents.\u00a0We\u2019d be up around 6 of course, and wait a couple of hours to hear the first stirrings from Mom and Dad\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n<p>The wait for them to go downstairs to put on the coffee, turn on the lights, and get the movie camera ready seemed to take eons.<\/p>\n<p>When we heard \u201cOK! Come on down!\u201d we\u2019d burst down the stairs, bathed in light from the Sun Gun as Dad took movies.\u00a0Before us was always a beautiful array of presents on the floor surrounding the sparkly tree.\u00a0Once Steven\u00a0found a way to get down the stairs first, he took great pride in it.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-9464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/musicnotes-tiny.gif\" alt=\"musicnotes-tiny\" width=\"50\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a>You Don&#8217;t have To Be a Star<br \/>\n<\/strong>Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"mbmaplayer_1375803510625\" class=\"{skin:'black', animate:false, width:'120', volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Marilyn-McCoo-and-Billy-Davis-Jr-You-Dont-Have-to-Be-A-Star.mp3\">Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr &#8211; You Don&#8217;t Have to Be a Star<\/a><textarea class=\"map_params\" style=\"display: block; padding: 3px; background: #444; color: #fff; text-decoration: none;\" disabled=\"disabled\">map :: {skin:&#8217;black&#8217;, animate:false, width:&#8217;120&#8242;, volume:0.2, autoplay:false, loop:false, showVolumeLevel:true, showTime:true, showRew:true, downloadable:false, downloadablesecurity:false, id3: false}<\/textarea><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1099\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1099\" style=\"width: 504px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1099 size-full\" title=\"Playing with our new toys\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/us-4-christmas.jpg\" alt=\"Playing with our new toys\" width=\"504\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/us-4-christmas.jpg 504w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/us-4-christmas-300x264.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1099\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Playing with our new toys one Christmas. Yep, that&#8217;s a Lite-Brite and an Etch-a-Sketch!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many a Christmas Eve, Mom and Dad would stay up late assembling everything for the big surprise. No WONDER they were always exhausted on Christmas morning!<\/p>\n<p>At one point, I discovered that Santa Claus actually appeared in the form of Mom and Dad.<\/p>\n<p>One time, when I got up to go to answer nature\u2019s call, I peeked downstairs to see them on their hands and knees setting things up. The tree was half-assembled with no lights on it.<\/p>\n<p>Feeling a sense of shame, let-down and scandal, I went back to bed and tried to forget what I saw \u2026 but appreciated their loving efforts to make things magical for us, no matter the time of night.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back, it warms my heart to know that my mom and dad were always working so hard beyond the scope of my little kid&#8217;s world to ensure that I had the best growing-up experiences possible, despite any adult hardships they were dealing with. What amazing parents!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17401\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17401\" style=\"width: 1269px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17401\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/xmas-1977.jpg\" alt=\"Christmas 1977\" width=\"1269\" height=\"916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/xmas-1977.jpg 1269w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/xmas-1977-335x242.jpg 335w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/xmas-1977-600x433.jpg 600w, https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/xmas-1977-768x554.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17401\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christmas 1977 (from home movie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"Chapter 9: Mom's Triumph; Life Turns On a Dime\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=62\">Chapter Nine: Mom&#8217;s Triumph; Life Turns On a Dime<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=4\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-13050\" src=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/drum-avatar-thumbnail-sm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" \/><\/a><a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=13681\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Return to Chapters<\/span><\/a><a title=\"Return to Memoirs\" href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=4\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Year of Big-Screen Blockbusters I enjoyed my open-on-the-top desk in Mrs. Greaux&#8217;s class. A new girl, Barbara T, arrived about a month into the school year. I went to Mrs. Greaux and asked if I could move my desk next to Barbara\u2019s so I could try to make her feel welcome and be her &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/?page_id=60\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Chapter 8: Fifth-Grade Fanfare&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14207,"parent":4,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-60","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/60","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/60\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17791,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/60\/revisions\/17791"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adrummergirlslife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}