Vada Whitehurst James

Memories – Old Ford School – 1948-1956
Continued

Memories of enjoying art/craft projects, writing on tne bord, and discovering the joy of reading pop into my consciousness. Afraid I spent a lot of time in a dream world and did a lot of sketching and doodling. Overall, I believe our Old Ford teachers did the best they knew to encourage each of us in areas they felt we had the most aptitude/talent. When looking at our first grade class picture, memories flood of each precious individual and their unique personality. The bonds we shared during those formative years must have influenced us all in positive ways, particularly in interpersonal relationships and good, healthy self-images.

Being welcomed into classmates' homes and knowing their families was also an important part of the Old Ford experience. "Spending the night" was a much anticipated event among the girls. I hope the boys were as fortunate, and suspect they were. I wish I could remember more specific details of events and who did what. Am depending on my classmates to bring back some of the memories. After all these years have passed, most of my memories are of feelings of the class as a unit and I sincerely hope that I never injured anyone through action or omission. What I remember most is the joy of participation and the true gift of feeling safe in the environment, with enough love and encouragement to help us move forward. Cheers to all the staff of Old Ford School who helped us find our way—even Mr. Gaskill!