My Schools

I did not go to kindergarten, so I will have to start with first grade. For the first six years of my school years, I remember living with my grandparents. That is with my brother which is older, and I lived with grandma and step grandpa on the farm in Belview, Mo. FIRST GRADE The school year of 56-57 I remember, was in Ironton school. I think I always got into trouble, but I don't remember that much about it. At that time I did not know that the county was building a new school to consolidate a bunch of one room school houses around the area. SECOND GRADE The next year I spent in a one room school house with all eight grades in one room. It had the old time school dest made of metal and wood. The ones that the desk had the a seat attached to the front of it and it had an ink well. There isn't to much I remember about the days there, I had a girl that I like very much I think her name was Judy. I got into trouble over many of times for either pulling her hair or turning around and talking to her. She had beautiful long blonde hair.

On the school group photo is all 8 grades.
Click on the photo to see full size.

The stove that kept the place worm in the winter time was in the front right in the center, a huge pot belly stove. Also out door restrooms. They were two boys that became my friend there, Jack Askew and James Blankenship. What was odd about those two was, they were the same age, but one was the others uncle. I remember that one time I think it was in the spring, The school went on a field trip out in the woods. We came upon a small tribulet which I though I was smart to figure out before the class on how to cross it. I must have grabbed a hold of a rotten limb on the tree for it broke and down I went into the water. Needless to say, the field trip was called off and we went back to the school house. If that wasn't embarising enough, I had to take my wet close off and I had to ware a sweater of a older girl while my clothing dried next to the stove. I am sure I got into more trouble, but trying to remember things frome when I was that age is very difficult now.

SECOND - FIFTH GRADE The next five years was spent in the new school called Belleview grade school. There I made new friends. Gary Jaycox, Billy Mitchell, which was my best buddies. I had some girls that was good friends too. Sandy and Debby Fitzgerald, which I wanted to marry both of them. haha at that age, right. Sue Fryman was another close friend of mine, which was a friend of Sandy and Debby, we all hung out together alot. Then Later I remember that one of my distant Cousins was a part of my group. Her name was Iris, I am not for sure of the last name, seems like it suppose to be Keith. Although Gary and I may have been budies, we were also spiring partners. We would both get into trouble for fighting each other. I don't think the teachers or the principal actually seen that we were best of buddies.

The school was built on a old field, the land still had some of the terises that was put into the field to help keep down erosion. Back in the field next to a fince I remember me and my budies would build a club house out of anything we could get our hands on. There was one time I thought I would try out for the softball team. hahaha. I could not hit, and I could not even catch. I don't even know why I ever tryed out. My career as a softball player ended quickly. I found out it not only took up to much of my play time, but It was way too ruff of a game. That is one day, I had a chance to catch a fly ball, I jumped up to catch it and the ball poped me right in the nose. Needless to say, It bloodied my nose and blacked my eyes. A couple other things that I remember very well, one was that I was running inbetween a car and the school and I tripped. My head bounced off the car and hit the brick wall. I had blood running from both sides of my head. There in that school, was my frist time of getting a spanking for telling a nasty joke. One thing odd about it was the principal and vice principal took me to the sports equipment locker room and asked me to repeat the joke to them. I did, they even laughed at the joke. They tryed to convince me that the school was not the correct place to be telling those types of jokes. Then they spanked me for telling the joke at school.

SIXTH GRADE To add to this, one half of a year I remember that I spent with my parents and sister (younger then I) at Bonne Terre, Missouri. But, Then when my dad suffered a heart attack, They moved down on the farm, and I went with them. We lived in a three room shack, which my dad had tore the old house down that I remember very little about, to build two rooms to the shanty room that was above the celler. We had no running water or indoor plumbing what so far ever. Most of the time we never had electric. It was very ruff times, my parents swollowed their pride and signed us kids up for free lunches at school for familys that could not afford the lunch cost. I on the other hand was very resorcefull. Back then and in that school there was a milk vending machine. During receses and lunch time the studants could purchase milk. White milk was 1 cent and chocolate milk was 2 cents. There was many of times that I would get one of each and mix them so I could have more milk that tasted like chocolate. Well that year I could not afford the milk as much for my parents did not have the extra money and the money was divided between my sister and I. So I would offer the boys a chance to hit me. For one slug in the shoulder for 1 cent and 5 cents for a slug in the belly. I made my milk money when I need it, but it did not go over to well with my dad when he found out. I don't need to say any more.

6th grade group photo.
Click on the photo to see full size.
NOTE: If you are anyone in this photo, or know of someone in this photo please email me.
james_twomey1@yahoo.com
If any one has the photos of my 3rd - 5th grade please share them with me.

Some where down the line there is some vague remembrance of going to Farmington school in Farmington, Missouri. But the last school year in Belleview I spent with my parents and sister. That was the sixth grade, the last year that I would ever see my friends again. It was hard to leave all my friends behind, but my life was changing.

SEVENTH GRADE The school year of 63-64, we moved up north of Bonne Terre, near a village called Valley Mines. My sister and I went to a grade school called Sunrise Elementary. That was my seventh grade. I think that there were only 4 rooms to the hole school, each room had two classes. My teacher was also the principal of the school. I don't know if I had any friends there or not. But the one thing that did mark that year was that it was the year President Kennedy was killed.

7th grade group picture.
Click on picture to see full size.

EIGHT AND NINTH GRADE

The next two years I went to Bonne Terre School. Although it seems that we lived in three different places with in those two years. This was in late 64 to may of 66. We lived on the old 67 highway just north of Bonne Terre but yet still in the city limits. With in the area of Bonne Terre is the lead belt. That is there were lead mines all over the area. The remains of the mines was on top of the ground known as chat dumps, which was usually a huge hill of chat. The chat dumps had very steep sides, which for kids seemed like a nice place to use for to slide down it. Needless to say, some boys and I worked hard to pull an old car hood up half way of the chat dump. We all got ready and jumped on the inside of this car hood. It shot down the side of the chat dump at such a rate that it scorched the pain off on the inside of the hood. Well, at the time we was about to the bottom, I did not know that my dad was near the chat dump talking to some guy there operating a catapiler bulldozer. My dad made a comment that it there was some very stupid kids sliding down the chat dump on a car hood. The guy answered with, "well one of those kids is your son." I got one heck of a lecture and my ass whipped with a belt all the way home. The next time that I sled down the chat dump was with my dad inspecting the area and controlling the complete run. I did not use a car hood that time, I used a regular snow sled. and there was snow on most part of the chat dump. I got one heck of a ride that I won't ever forget.

We had move into a few more houses I think about 4 other houses durning that time north of Bonne Terre, but yet we were in the same school district. Hmmm, that was the time that the monkeys was going strong, and I made my first book radio. That is I took the working parts out of a transistor radio and put it in a hard cover book that I cup out the pages to fit the radio.

TENTH GRADE Then the first part of the school year was jumbled, but I spent the last part of the school year in 1967 going to Leadwood high school. It was a very ruff school. At that school there were a couple girls that I liked and both was my girlfriend. Mary King, and Jackie White. ELEVENTH AND TWEVETH GRADE My parents had bought a house in Desloge MO. Bonne Terre and Desloge schools consolidated and the High Schools Became North County. The next three years from late 67 to may of 70 I spent there and graduated from there. I had two main male friends Joe Eaton and Tom Reed. I never actually had any girlfriend from that school. Although there were several girls I did like but they never gave me the time of day. I was a member of the Demolays, and I also was a paper boy. At one time I had 4 paper routes at one time. I could no longer do the delivering on a bicycle, I had to do deliver my paper with an automobile. I also dropped off two or three bundles for other carriers.

My life changed after high school several times there after. I had gone to Denver CO. to a technical college with Joe. We were studding drafting, I was not that great at it even though I had taken two years in high school.

COLLEGE My school years was over except for the school of hard knocks. Real life education. Then later in life, way later I went back to college. In January 1990 - December 1993 I spent these 4 years in a two year community college. Three Rivers Community College was a treat to me. Although I got an associates degree in Business Management, I found that my true interest was computers. I had one bad semester which messed up my 3.0 average and only recieved a 2.808 gpa. I did excessively well in computers, which I aced all my classes but one which I got a B grade in. I may not have got my 4.0 average in computers, but I did get a real good 3.625. I did recieve a certificat as well in computers. I don't know how I ever accomplished getting a certificate for excelent resume. I guess it was just hard work and help from my teachers. All total I earned 78 credit hours which was enought for me to apply for a substitute teachers certificate, which I recieved for 3 years in a roll after my college. Although I never did get to sub for a single day. One thing though, I enjoyed my years in college very much.

Take a look at my college years for a real break down of what subjects was taken and the grades that was made.

Then after that it was back to the school of hard knocks. Which is where I am now. I don't really see any more college in my life time. Although a few classes would sound good.

This page is still under construction.
Last update 08-31-98

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