December 1, 1964
Ah December! It was 14 degrees this morning - and NO SNOW! Rats. I don’t [know] what I’m going to do about Geometry. That ratfink Mr. V is flunking everybody. Oh, well, I’ll just have to do my work and not let him bother me - not that it’s just me. Everyone in the class feels the same way.
Phys Ed tomorrow! Wheeeee! I really love it - especially tumbling and archery.
December 1, 2022
I refuse to hold a grudge against the student teacher we had in Geometry that year. His sin was not being attractive and charming, like the other student teacher in the English department. The truth is that I did all my homework in every subject in the study hall closest to the class. I did virtually no homework at home during the week except on Sunday nights.
And yes, Physical Education was one of my favorite subjects, along with Spanish. At my schools. We had a seasonal rotation. Archery, field hockey, basketball, tumbling (gymnastics), track and field, and softball, in that order. Was this the year that we had free time during the class and the teacher gave us a book on gymnastics to see what advanced gymnastics looked like. I decided to try my hand at this release, on the parallel bars: from an arm stand, my shoulders resting on one bar and gripping the other with both hands, release my hold. One friend (probably my best buddy Marcia) walked me through the instructions. She said “Just let go!” and I did. It worked! Instead of falling headfirst through the bars and onto the gym floor, I caught myself by the elbows and spun around, landing on my feet. It was so exhilarating I did it again. Our gym teacher took the book away.