Off to school - early 1940's

Last night I spent 2 hours in a PTA meeting trying to figure out what classes my son has to take to graduate from high school.  Things have changed since I graduated in the 1980's!  As I was deciding what to write about today, I remembered that I had a picture of my dad and his siblings with a caption about going to school.

Mary Lou, Frank, Neal and Dave

My mom included this photo in the "School Days" section of a scrapbook. I think that this photograph must have been taken in the early 1940's.  I wonder if things felt this complicated back then? 

 I am fortunate to have some of dad's report cards.  The ones from early on (about 1941, I think) were pretty simple.  But I like how personal they are - a nice handwritten note on lined paper.

By the time 8th grade rolled around (1947-1948 school year), the report cards were a bit more formal, and letter grades appeared.  It is interesting to see how dad did in school and compare it to how I did.  Luckily, my mom saved my report cards and I can easily see the differences and similarities.

Now that I have a teenager, I have to keep reminding myself that the occasional eye-rolling, and "how could you possibly know this" comes with the territory. I remember feeling that way about my parents.  The nice thing is, after a bit of growing up, I realized just how hard my dad worked to get through dental school, and just how smart he was.  My mom worked hard too.  She got her nursing degree, helped put dad through dental school, raised a family, and went back to work.  

Hmmm....I'm beginning to feel like a bit of a slouch.  Time to conquer the world!