FLASH BACK TO ONE REDHEAD'S JOURNEY'S SCHOOL DAYS
K-12 Grades, Test Scores, Friendships, and Hardships
Flash back with me through K-12 Grades, Test Scores, Friendships, and Hardships. I'm not sure how much I will remember, but I'll do my best to include as much as I can. As I find more, I will revise sections. I plan on adding my school pictures, letters from friends, and so much more. Check back often for changes or subscribe below.
OVERVIEW
Some things are surprising, others not-so-much!
I spent much of the morning lulling over a folder I found with all my report cards from K-12th grade. While some things were not surprising, such as the amount of teacher comments on how much I talked in class, other findings were more shocking.
I spent K-4 at Hickory Grove Elementary School in Charlotte, NC. Newell Elementary School would be where I finished out 5th and 6th grades. I didn't miss much school. I had perfect attendance in kindergarten and first grade and only missed 2 days of school in 2nd and 3rd grade. Attendance was not recorded in 4th for some reason, but that's when it seemed my attention in class really declined. I'll get to more details about 4th grade later.
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As I child, I remember not understanding math and reading seemed to be a chore. My comprehension skills lacked in all subjects. I'm not sure there was a subject I really loved growing up other than physical education. I find it interesting that I was not a good reader, but really enjoyed writing. When it came to word problems in math, forget it. I checked out. Still to this day I struggle with word problems, but I love reading and learning new things.
KINDERGARTEN
Hickory Grove Elementary
Mrs. Jenkins
I remember Mrs. Jenkins, my kindergarten teacher. She was a friendly teacher but at times I hated her. I would get the ruler across my hands so many times and be isolated from my groups. I remember I would soil my pants just to get attention. I'm so glad that didn't continue into my later years! Can you imagine? There must have been some other issues going on. Specifically, on one occassion I remember I didn't have a pencil in class. I vividly remember telling my teacher we couldn't afford them, when in reality, we could. What was wrong with me? Man, I got in so much trouble for that! My mom was called into a conference, which is when she found out. I'll have to keep looking. I bet I'll find information on that instance somewhere.
FIRST GRADE
Hickory Grove Elementary
Mrs. Nordin
The only real memories I have about first grade was that I was in a quad classroom (a large room divided into 4 classes) and someone brought in molasses for show-and-tell and I was forced to try it. I remember holding it in my mouth and eventually spitting it into the classroom water fountain. I don't like molasses to this day unless it's part of a recipe. Who eats molasses on its own anyway? I remember trying bamboo shoots as well that year. Every time I see a bamboo plant, it reminds me of show-and-tell.
SECOND GRADE
Hickory Grove Elementary
Mrs. Griffin
In second grade, I remember Mrs. Griffin. Not only did I struggle staying in my seat, I was a talker and was given talking sticks to allow myself a specific number of times a day to speak. When I became a teacher, we used talking sticks, but in a much different fashion. Â It was to teach respect and listening skills in a group setting. I guess you can say they were somewhat related. In fact, working in Corporate America now, I was given a talking stick from a Franklin Covey course I took called, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."
THIRD GRADE
Hickory Grove Elementary
Mrs. Carpenter
In third grade I was doing a lot of modeling for Belk stores, so I remember being dismissed from school early to do shoots in the corporate offices and malls. I spent a lot of time at my mom's office in their conference room that year catching up on homework between modeling shoots. Here are some quotes from my 3rd grade report card from M. Carpenter: 2nd quarter- "Stephanie has made progress in work and study habits. She still needs to improve in following the rules and staying in her seat more," 3rd quarter- "Stephanie still has not learned all the multiplication tables. Math will be hard for her unless she memorizes them. Her behavior has improved," 4th quarter- "Stephanie fell down some in reading-skill sheets grades were lower. She has still not learned the multiplication tables. Have a nice summer." I remember the multiplication matrix and carrying around the flash cards and my mom quizzing me in her bedroom while she was getting ready for work. I just couldn't remember them. Now I understand why I was pushing Emily to learn the multiplication facts so eagerly. She is going into 9th grade and still struggles with them.
FOURTH GRADE
Hickory Grove Elementary
Mrs. Baldwin
Now, onto 4th grade. My grades were good. Overall I had all A's and B's with one lonely C (in Social Studies). Dates were hard for me and I remember having to read from the textbook and remember a lot of dates. I still struggle with dates today. We have Google now, so I can look up anything I need to!
Mrs. Baldwin wrote on my 2nd quarter report card, "Stephanie needs to try hard to listen more carefully," and on the 3rd quarter, "Stephanie can do well when she works. She needs to sit up in her chair and face the front." Looking back, I don't think she liked me. I didn't score well in Work, Study, and Conduct with "needs improvement" in 'handwriting, accepts responsibility, uses time wisely, works neatly, pays attention in class, follows directions, observes school and class rules, and refrains from unnecessary talking'. I was "showing progress" in the areas of, 'shows effort' and 'respects the rights and property of others'.
I specifically remember telling my mom I was having a hard time reading because the words were blending together, so I was taken to the eye doctor and they dilated my eyes. She made me go back to school with those big black glasses on. I also wanted to be cool, so I wore slips under my shirts to make it look like I was wearing a bra. Our classroom was in a trailer, too.
FIFTH GRADE AND THE SUMMER OF HORROR
Newell Elementary
Mr. Haynes
Maybe a change in school was what I needed. My family moved from one side of Charlotte to the other.
My grades in 5th were good with all A's and B's! All the areas from 4th grade that I scored "needs improvement on" I scored "very good" and "satisfactory". I remember Mr. Haynes. He was a very tall man I thought was a NBA basketball player.
There are two things I remember about 5th grade that I remember vividly. First, I had never been one to fall asleep in class, but our teacher made us watch a movie on the Holocaust and I fell asleep. This kept me from being able to attend a class field trip. Second, we did a project where we had to send mail to different states and learn facts about those states. I remember getting brochures in the mail and putting together my first big project. I was so proud of it!
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This was my first year learning to play the violin. The only comments I received on my report card were that I needed to improve in reading and math and to keep up the good work.
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This was the year that one of the worst things that can happen to a child happened to me. My dad sent me to Michigan over the summer to visit his side of the family. It was my first time on a plane, and I was going alone. The preparation for this included making sure I had an activity book to keep me busy on the plane and packing, at least that's all I remember.
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My aunt picked me up and took me to a theme park for the day. At some point I ended up at a bar to see my grandfather. All I remember was that it was a bar filled with older men and we were sitting on bar stools when he leaned over to kiss me. It wasn't the normal kiss a grandfather gives their granddaughter. I pushed him away and when we were getting up to walk out, he stopped me in front of the entire bar and did it again. I remember him forcing his tongue down my throat to the point I was gagging. I felt like something was wrong. I needed to tell someone. I wasn't close to my dad's side of the family. Cell phones were not a thing, so in order to talk to my parents, I would need to call long-distance, and at that time, it was not an option. I slept in the basement of my grandparents condo. I remember it being dark and musky and the stairs up to the next level were very steep. There was only a sliver of light coming in from a rectangular window in the corner.
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My aunt picked me up for the day. Storms were coming in. Her parking lot flooded and power went out. I was forced to take a shower in the dark. I pretended to wash my hair because I was scared of showering with just a single candle. I had a lot on my mind. She told me she knew I didn't wash my hair because it was greasy, so she washed it in the sink. That's when I told her about the incident with my grandfather. She called my grandmother and told her about it. Nobody believed her. I don't remember how long I was in Detroit, but I'm thinking it was around a week. I also don't remember past occurrences of the abuse, but I'm sure it was there.
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When I got back home, I talked to my dad about it. He said, "That's just the way Italian's kiss." I never got a feeling that he was on my side. My mother was furious and promised me I would never have to see my grandfather again.
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The events that summer have haunted me, even into my adult life. I find myself shielding my feelings and distancing myself from people who love me. I don't enjoy kissing. When I try to explain over and over to my husband why, he says, "Well, I'm not your grandfather." He just doesn't get it. It just doesn't go away.
There is light in this story and that is I have told it to Emily and she knows right from wrong and understands what to do if she is ever put into a similar situation. I had to release the leash the last two summers and allow her to travel to NY to stay with Harry's parents, two weeks each time. Of course I was very reserved. It's not that I don't trust his parents. It's that I would hate to see what I would do if that trust was ever breached. I could never forgive myself for allowing her to be put into that position to begin with.
The summer following 5th grade was the summer when my relationship with my dad started to change.
SIXTH GRADE
Newell ElementaryÂ
Mr. Buchanan
My last year of elementary school was with Mr. Buchanan and had events I will never forget. We cleaned our desks with shaving cream, rinsed our mouths with mouthwash in little dixie cups, took Spanish, got tested for scolosis, and learned to macrame. I made a macrame Christmas tree that I still hang in my house every year. We learned about the differences between males and females. Someone placed a condom in my purse. I didn't know what it was, so I ran across the class with it to show my teacher and was made fun of for weeks for that.
I can only find up to my 3rd quarter report card for 6th grade, but I was pretty average. My grades were all B's and C's. My teacher wrote for 1st quarter, "Stephanie has worked very hard and she is most dependable. I'm very pleased with her cooperation and determination." I was doing better in school! For 2nd quarter, he wrote, "Stephanie continues to work very hard. I am pleased with the effort that she has put forth. She shows that she really cares about doing good in school." Third quarter wasn't so bad either. He wrote, "Stephanie has been very cooperative, but I would like to see her applying herself a bit more on each assignment. She is very enthusiastic in class." I wonder if the decline in work ethic had anything to do with the way I was being treated by my peers that year?
Looking at my standardized testing scores, I was well below average in social studies and slightly below average in science with both being below the 80th percentile. Reading was well below to slightly below, language was mostly average to slightly above average, while math was average to well above average. What? I was above the 95th percentile in mathematics computation. That's surprising! My writing score was a 3 out of 5. I enjoyed writing and still do!
SEVENTH GRADE
And my life begins...
Middle school...such a scary two words. Even today, "middle school" tends to wreck the nerves of our teenagers. Books have been written about this particular time in our lives. Some of the books are meant to tell how life really is, while other authors take a more humorous approach to teaching our kids how their lives are about to change.
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I was a good kid. I played baseball on my dad's baseball team, played the violin, enjoyed running, and had a close group of friends from school and our neighborhood. Our family life seemed OK. My dad would host parties most weekends, whether it was neighbors coming over for cards or parents and other coaches from baseball gathering to talk about sports and eat homemade pizza or pasta. When we weren't hosting parties on the weekends, we would head out on the lake on our beat-up 1977 Thunderbird boat. As much as my father wanted it to be a good boat, it gave us so many problems. I would enjoy going out on the lake with my next-door neighbors more, on their fancy boat. Steve Manser taught me to waterski and it became one of my favorite summer-time activities. I also met his neice, Lexie and became instant friends and pen-pals.
My mom worked...a lot. By now, my sister was finishing high school. We would have special sister nights where I could sleep with her. My brother was not doing so well in school and was getting in a lot of trouble. We had a lot going on in our life. I don't remember much in the way of down-time. I remember middle school as the busiest and most confusing time in my life. My body was changing. I remember sitting in a student council meeting in the library and looking down at my legs as they rested in the blue chair I was sitting in. I remember thinking, "my legs are fat." I was only about 90 lbs then. What's crazy is that Emily said the same thing to me about her legs (at 90 lbs) when she was in 7th grade as well. It was just the muscle resting, and trying to explain that to a teenager who was having confidence issues, was difficult. I told her I used to think the same thing when I was her age.
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I was very involved in our church Youth Group. I participated in Crop Walks every year and we would have church lock-ins that I would look forward to. I believe this is the year my sister and I decided to forgo the early morning Sunday masses and ask if we could go Sunday afternoons instead. Rather than going to church, we would go and get ice cream or walk around the lake at University Place. Up to this point, this was the most defiant thing I had ever done.
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Seventh grade is when I played school softball and started playing soccer. I was a natural at soccer. It would start the beginning to an obsession that would last well into my college years. I practiced all the time. I ran sprints out front of my house from light pole to light pole and long distance around my neighborhood. I'd run with my neighbor, who would push me when I didn't want to continue. Sometimes I would run to escape reality and clear my head. I wish I could say the same today.
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My grades in 7th grade were good. I made the honor roll and for the first time in my life I had straight A's! According to my standardized testing scores, I was an average to slightly above average student in all areas, including social studies and science.
EIGHTH GRADE
JT Williams Middle School
Eighth grade was just as busy as 7th grade. I was involved in a lot at school, played sports, and still had my close knit group of friends. Sleepovers were a regular occurrence between Tammy, Candy, Mandy, and myself. We would rotate between each other's homes. In the neighborhood, I had Jody, April, and Shelly as close friends. Chris Cooke and Jessica Ritchie were my closest friends just outside our neighborhood.
I was known at school. I wouldn't say I was popular. I didn't go out of my way to do my hair, didn't own make-up, and dressed like a tom-boy most days. If there was a day I had to wear a dress, I would literally make myself sick at the thought. I don't mind getting dressed up today, but it's only on special occasions. I love lounge clothes and wear make-up when necessary.
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I finished out 8th grade with all A's and B's and missed 9 days of school.
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NINTH GRADE
JT Williams Middle School
Ninth grade was challenging. It was my last year of middle school. I was still under 100 lbs and below 5' tall. My nerves about going to high school that small were kicking in.
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My this time, I was a star athlete at school. I played softball, soccer, and basketball. I won many awards for athletics and academics. If there was a club at school, I was more than likely involved. Clubs took place during school days, so keeping up with grades had to be a priority. Today, clubs take place after school, which is an inconvenience when your child does not attend their home school.
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According to my standardized test scores, I was still slightly below average in reading, average to slightly above average in language, and average in math. I cannot find my report card for 9th grade at this time. I was promoted from a Panther to a Lion. High school was just around the corner. Friends I had gone to school with for so many years would be attending different high schools, and this made me sad.
TENTH GRADE
West Charlotte High School
The hopes of growing taller between 9th and 10th grade did not happen. I was so little in a huge school with over 1500 students in just 3 grades. West Charlotte High had 14 buildings with a large quad in the middle.
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I knew I wanted to play soccer, so I met the soccer coach, Coach Finley. I practiced with the men's varsity soccer team and attended all their games. I practiced in the blistering heat and icy cold. On rainy days, I would stay after school and practice in the gym. My life was devoted to soccer and everything I did revolved around it.
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I made the varsity girls team and played almost every minute of every game. I was fit. I loved to run. Exercising gave me excuses to eat poorly because I knew I was going to work it off. Sadly, as fit as I was, I still had self-image issues.
ELEVENTH GRADE
I attended Prom and got dressed up!
Soccer continued to be a huge part of my life. It was all I thought about. Forget dating! My best male friend, Andrew Miller, would be my "date" to my junior prom. He was a year younger than me, but that didn't bother me. We had been best friends since the end of elementary school.
TWELFTH GRADE
What's next?
It was my senior year. I made it! There were so many decisions that needed to be made in just a few short months. I was being scouted by many schools for college soccer. What was the issue then? I did not know what to study. I had dreams of becoming a sports caster, but my dad, being in radio, always told me I had a face for radio. Talk about mean. He talked me out of going in that direction. A part of me wishes I had stuck to it, but I'm thankful for all my life experiences now.
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I came across my Soccer Resume' today. This is what my coach gave college scouts when they came to watch me play.
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Position: Right Wing (Forward)
GPA: 3.2
Experience:
1993-1995 Varsity Soccer, West Charlotte High School
1995 2nd Place Soccer Unlimited Invitational
1993-1995 Manager, Varsity Men's Soccer
1994 5E AYSO Tournament, Spartenburg, SC
1994 1st Place Division I Girls Soccer- AYSO Tournament
1994 UNC-Charlotte Soccer Camp
1994 Player/Coach- Charlotte Recreational Soccer League
1994 N.C. State Games Junior/Senior Soccer Showcase Tournament- Durham, NC
1994 Soccer Unlimited Invitational- Charlotte, NC
1993 5E AYSO Tournament
1991-1992 Varsity Soccer, JT Williams Junior High School
Honors and Awards:
1995 Southwestern 4A All-Conference 1st Team
1995 All-Region 1st Team
1995 Offensive Player of the Year
1994 Captain AYSO
1994 Offensive Player of the Year, West Charlotte High School
1994 Southwestern 4A All-Conference 2nd Team, West Charlotte High School
1992 Most Valuable Player, JT Williams Junior High
1992 Best All Around Athlete, JT Williams Junior High
1991-1992 All Northern League, JT Williams Junior High
1991 Team Captain, JT Williams Junior High
Leading scorer and assists (9th, 11th, 12th grades)
2nd Leading scorer and assists (10th grade)
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I received many academic awards as well.
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When I said I was in a lot of clubs, here's what I mean. I found this resume' I wrote to depict all my extracurricular activities from 5th grade on.
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Grade(s):
5-11 Church Youth Group
5-9 Crop Walk
5-9, 11, 12 Honor Roll
5-12 Orchestra
8-12 Varsity Women's Soccer
8-9 Varsity Softball
8-9 Jr. Red Cross
9 Science Club
9 International Club
9 S.A.V.E.
9 Executive Student Council
9 Mediation Team
9 National Jr. Honor Society
9 Bowling League
9 Varsity Basketball
9 N.A.M.E.S.
9 Charlotte Jr. Youth Symphony
9, 11 Who's Who Among American High School Students
9-11 Perfect Attendance
11-12 D.E.C.A.
12 Fellowship of Christian Athletes
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I currently hold two jobs. One is at The Playground (a place with go-carts, batting cages, and a game room) and Soccer City (the arena where I play indoor soccer). I also enjoy water skiing, boating, billiards, and writing.