School Daze: The Summer My School Burned Down To The Ground: What Now?
Posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2011
by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/
When I was 10 years old, my family and I awoke in the middle of the night to a thunderous and angry sound of a fire and also saw smoke rising. I quickly got into the car with my two older sisters and my parents. We followed the roaring fire just a few blocks away, as the fire became louder. Then, we were all speechless as we collectively understood that the school I was supposed to attend (in the 5thgrade) was on fire.
There was something really eerie about that night. It seemed everyone in my small rural town had shown up. Many were in their pajamas. The same bewildered look was on each face. Murmurings were soft as we watched the school burn all the way to the ground, in spite of the firefighter's efforts to stop it.
However, there was a separate and adjacent concrete building that did not burn down. It was called the Manual Training Building. I think it was where the boys took their shop course. This building, which was pretty small, was where I attended school that year.
We did not have a cafeteria, so we all brought our lunch. The county provided us with extras such as cheese and figs and we could buy our milk, which was stored in a cooler. At recess, I can remember playing where the old school was.
This was my first year at a different school, so I made new friends.
The sadness drifted away as we all got used to the small area we called school and got into a routine.
Looking back, I would say that this was my happiest year ever in school. I had a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Williford who taught me all about forgiveness.
There were a few rumors floating around as to why and how the school burned. One rumor was that the principal did it. A few years ago, I researched this event and found out that it was arson, but it was never known how it happened or who set the school on fire.
I will never know the reason the school was set on fire. Even though it was shocking and I will never forget looking out the window and seeing the smoke and hearing the fire, as a 10 year old who had a good teacher and good friends, I was happy and content in my little cement building called “school."
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Like this article a lot and can easily understand, after the original shock and the burning and all the associated anguish, that as a 10 year old you would eventually enjoy, remember and cherish the time spent in the small building. There is something special and endearing about attending classes in a small personable class and being closely associated with classmates. Liking your teacher is also the biggest plus of all. Nicely told and thanks for sharing
Fran, this is a wonderfully enjoyable article. I appreciate your style and your length. (That is one of my goals is to shorten my articles and upgrade quality). Do you think your teacher would be surprised to learn that you have such pleasant memories?
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