Northgrove Notes

I like to say that I’m older than Kindergarten.

There was no Kindergarten class in my local elementary school as I was approaching school age. However, I was enrolled in a unique class – aptly referred to as January Class. It began in January of the year before the typical Grade One class was to start that September. I vaguely remember doing crafts, listening to stories, and going into the basement of the very old school building (see photo below) for a time of nap/rest. (Update: I’m still big on naps!)

Grade One should have been at the local elementary school but again, I was sent to another location. Myself and approximately 15 other six-year-olds boarded a bus to Buttonville, Ontario where we attended the single-room schoolhouse. Many years later, I questioned why I would have left my home school location to drive 20 minutes for that first full year of my formal education. My parents didn’t recall exactly. That’s understandable, as I was one of four children and they had busy lives, running a dairy farm. My answer to the question, “Why Buttonville?,” presented itself in 2015 at my mother’s funeral when my Grade One teacher came to pay her respects. She explained to me that the powers that be decided to keep the January Class students together for one more year, to see if the extra half year in school gave our education a bit of a jump start.

I spent grades 2-8 at the local elementary school with the same group of students. One class of each grade, and we grew up together. To this day, if I run into one of my former classmates, it feels like reconnecting with long lost family members. One particular memory from elementary school stuck with me for the past 50 years. It was my final day of Grade 8 was when our teacher for both grades 7 and 8 said to us;

“For the past two years, I’ve been your teacher and you’ve addressed me as Mr. W., but if you see me on the street tomorrow, I hope you think of me as a friend and call me Jim.”

In the summer before high school was to begin, my family moved to Peterborough County. I started Grade 9 in a school of 1000 students that I had never met before. Despite being very quiet, I slowly began to make friends with the neighbours my age, in my church youth group and the local 4H club.

Working in schools began with employment as an Educational Assistant. As a single mom of young children, I knew I needed to do more to be a better provider. A few phone calls later, it was decided that I would attend Trent University on a part-time basis while still keeping my school job. Fast forward six years to 2005 and I successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Geography. One year after that, I had completed my Bachelor of Education and began my journey as an elementary school teacher.

I soon started working as an Occasional Teacher, receiving calls daily and I kept very busy at that. To set the record straight, a supply teacher IS a real teacher. Some people think otherwise, but my qualifications are the same as any other person registered with the Ontario College of Teachers.

After working in daily assignments and many long-term occasional placements (e.g., maternity leaves, personal care leaves, etc.) for 11 years, I landed permanent teaching status with a lovely Grade 4/5 class. That position was in a beautiful little rural school in its last year before closure and I was so fortunate to get that job. I love the warm environment of a small school. The staff works closely to provide for our students and we knew all the students by name. My next and final school location was in a small village in the Clarington area, whose school population was only Kindergarten to Grade Two. They were between the ages of 3.5-8. Our students were young and sweet, but I didn’t only connect with the students. The families supported the school and their children, and in that triangle of teamwork between ‘Parents – Students – Teachers’ is where the best opportunity for learning occurs. I was blessed to call that little community my home away from home until my retirement.

Fun fact – This little village school was still rural enough that it was not uncommon to see our students being picked up at the end of the day by various modes of transportation, such as a wagon, golf cart, 4-wheeler or even by snowmobile.

You may think I’ve spent enough time in schools and I would be glad to be done with teaching. Some days, I want to have an extra cup of coffee and lose myself in a good book. Other days, I am thankful for the free time to take a road trip to visit my grandchildren. But there are still some days when I seek out occasional teaching opportunities and spend time helping children chart their own educational journeys.

Today’s question from a 6 year old student reminded me that it may be time to look for another good book. She asked me;

Ms. Grove, what colour did your hair used to be before it went grey?

Oh my! Out of the mouths of babes….

If anyone else has early experiences with January Class, please add your thoughts to the comments. I would love to hear your memories. They will add a few more pieces to the puzzle for me. Thanks!

Many thanks to my sister, Karen, for the photos of her antique school desks (from Mongolia P.S.) and her help with research, to the YRDSB for also assisting in my research for the details of these early classes and to my childhood friend, Richard R., who shared his memories with me.