You must remember those metal lunch boxes that you carried to school everyday and dutifully brought home everyday. I don't know about you, but I hated carrying it. If I had to take cold lunch I wanted to carry mine in a paper bag. As I remember those lunch boxes had great pictures on the sides such as Snow White, Cinderella, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Trigger, and of course Lassie. Those are just a few. Wish I still had mine now that they are a collectors item. I carried one of those metal lunch boxes to school everyday when I went to NH Fay. I didn't have a thermos bottle that went in it, so in place of it a glass bottle was used. Usually I had milk in mine, by noon the milk was warm. Nasty tasting stuff. I don't drink much milk now, but if I do it has to be ice cold if I'm going to have anything to do with it.

I recall having a Miss Hopkins for a teacher in the fourth grade. She and I just seemed to hitch horns. I didn't like her and I guess she didn't like me. I'd do something she didn't like and I'd end up out in the hall standing in the corner next to the teachers room. I wasn't a bad kid, but I wasn't a good one either. You know sort of in-between. I got the usual punishments as did everyone else. Copying the dictionary word for word. The Webster dictionary had a lot of stuff on its pages. Or you might have to write I will not talk out of turn 500 times. I had one teacher that had her own way of correcting, if you didn't pay attention in her class you got your knuckles wrapped. She wrapped my knuckles more than once I can tell you. You had to be real bad to be sent to the principal's office. Real Bad. Mr. Cushman was the principal at NH Fay. I think his house was right next door to the school. You guessed it, I was sent to the principal's office. Remember I said," Miss Hopkins and I didn't get along?" Well, I had done something wrong that day at school. I don't remember what it was now, but she gave me detention. All I could think of boy, if I miss that bus than I'll have to walk home and then explain why I had to stay after school. Then I'd probably get a good licking if there is such a thing.

When I was growing up you never heard of a time out, only a good licking. Where I lived was quite a ways from school. The house is no longer there, one of Dexter Lumber Companies warehouses has replaced it. Needless to say I had made my mind that I wasn't going to stay after school. I never had before and I wasn't now. I planned on being on that bus. So when the bell rang at 3:10 I went to coat and boot closet. I put my coat and boots on and this is when that metal lunch box got me in more trouble. I grabbed my lunch box by the black plastic handle, along comes Miss Hopkins, grabs me by the shoulders and starts to give me a good shaking because I had defied her. The next thing I knew that lunch box connected with her forehead. Along comes Mrs. Daigle and Mrs. Dearborn to see what the commotion was all about. Here is Miss Hopkins holding her head, so they both drag me to the principal's office. All I can remember is that when I got home a phone call had preceded me. I was in big trouble. We will not talk of that now. I don't believe that Miss Hopkins taught at NH Fay the following year can't say as I blame her!!!!!!!!

Debbie Burdin