For all of you readers of Alan’s blog, I know you’ve heard some stories about growing up in the “Big” city of Chebanse Illinois. Well, here’s some confirmation from the far north side of Chebanse.  I too have some wonderful memories of our little town. I don’t think you could ask for a better place to grow up in the 50’s and 60’s. Alan’s descriptions of Chebanse take me right back. The sights and sounds, the sandlot baseball, and all the characters that went with it. All are spot on. Dieters Hardware, Midwest Grocery, and The County Line Café were frequent haunts. Hansens Variety formerly owned by Harold Fatke, was a favorite stop after school. I can still see Wolf’s old grocery store leaning to one side and wondering when it would fall. Now here’s another story that I’m sure some can relate to.

Back in the 60’s when I started school, we didn’t have pre-school or kindergarten. Nope, we jumped right into first grade. Not that we didn’t need some preparation for school, it just wasn’t available, except what we got from Mom and Dad. Now as youngsters we all heard from our older friends and siblings, the horror stories about school and some of the teachers.

One unfortunately was a first-grade teacher named Mrs. Scanlon. We were led to believe she was the meanest teacher in the world. A strict disciplinarian who would beat you for looking at her wrong. All of us were scared to death before we started. We dreaded registration day in late summer. We held our breath to learn our fate. Did we get in Mrs. Scanlon’s class or did we escape the wrath of the meanest teacher in the world?    I was not so lucky.

Well as it turns out, some of the warnings we received from the older kids were true. She was old and mean and scary as hell to a 6-year-old. (She probably wasn’t that old, but again, you know, in the eyes of a 6-year-old.) Getting scolded was a regular thing in our class. Some kids way more than others but some deserved it. We did have a couple knuckleheads. I won’t name names. When you really got in trouble the next step was the bare butt spanking with a ruler in the bathroom. Yup take you in the bathroom right there in our classroom, make you pull down your pants, and get whacked with a ruler. Boys and girls alike. She even spanked the principles daughter one time. WOW that was something. Talk about a deterrent.

I tell you all this because I was recently back there in Mrs. Scanlon’s class at good old West Acres Elementary. Not really but some sights and sounds took me back. While visiting the Kankakee area a while back I found myself driving around Chebanse. While there I always stop at Evergreen Cemetery to say hi to mom and dad, and of course to my daughter. Evergreen is always such a peaceful, serene place but this visit was especially quiet. Not a sound except the breeze and a few birds. Just standing there enjoying the serenity, when the quiet was interrupted by the sounds of children playing at the school. This is when I went back to first grade with Mrs. Scanlon.

It was May of 1963. We came back to our classroom after lunch. I walked over to the windows and looked to the south. Our classroom had a clear view of Evergreen. (That was the southwest corner of the original building.) From my vantage point I could see a burial service in progress. I was oblivious to everything around me. I was focused on the service. Mrs. Scanlon startled me and told me to get in my seat. I guess I didn’t move fast enough or maybe not at all. She scolded me again and asked what was wrong with me. I looked up at her and said, “I’m watching them bury my grandpa.” (Little kids didn’t attend services like that back then.) Luckily, she looked out and could see my mother in the group. The mean, old, scary, lady let me stay there a while and watch.

I guess she wasn’t really that mean after all.