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| Court Street School, St. Catharines |
We moved to 10 Clark Street in the city
when I was seven. I attended Court Street Public School for my third grade. I turned eight the first week of school. Mom walked me
to school the first few days. After that I was on my own. Uphill to the corner of Church Street, turn left and one one long block to Court Street, cross Church Street and continue, across King Street to school at the corners of Court and Central Streets. I met classmates along the way so we were all
secure. My homeroom teacher was Mrs. Robinson, a huge middle-aged bespectacled woman who
wore her grey hair pulled back into a large bun behind her head. She was also
the principal of the school. I always enjoyed school but that changed when I
wrestled with another boy on the way home. Apparently we were to stay in
formation until we had crossed King Street. We had broken a rule. There was a punishment associated with the rule of which we were unaware. The teacher who
accompanied us to the King Street crossing reported us. Upon returning to
class in the afternoon, my partner in crime and I received corporal punishment.
We were strapped on our hands with the notorious leather strap contained in
Mrs. Robinson’s desktop drawer. I recall that it didn’t hurt much and to show
that I could handle it, I made a point of smiling at my classmates as I
returned to class. I think she was easy on us. The best thing about
grade three was my mad one-year love affair with Terry Lynn Emas. Joey Daniels
my neighbourhood buddy also liked her but I was the one whom she invited to her
birthday party at her home and that settled it.
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