Through The Lens: Leave Sleeping Nest Alone
My first recollection of a school special event was in Central Grade School. Most of my early memories were in that large stone building which reminded me of a castle in an old Dracula movie. I had never seen his castle in real life, but I was sure it looked like the stone school building.
Back in those days if you mis-behaved in class, the teachers had a couple of options to discipline a student. They would either stand you in the corner, or banish you to the cold dark hallway as punishment for the offense. I heard that every now and then that kids put into the hallway disappeared forever and were never seen again. At least that was what one of the older kids told us going home on the bus.
Show-and-Tell was a chance for a kid to really get a chance to move up in social prominence. I had heard that a kid the previous year had brought in a real Indian arrowhead to school for Show-and-Tell. After that he was one of the first kids to be picked for the dodge ball game each recess period. In the world of a kid, that is big. You cannot believe how embarrassing it is to be the last kid picked each time. Most of the time if you’re last, you don’t even get picked. The teacher just assigns you to the team of her choosing. For a seven-year-old, that is really hard to handle.
In 1957 we moved to New Martinsville. That meant I was a new kid in school. Untested by all the kids that had gone through the first grade together; the social pecking order had been well established the previous year. Being new I had to act fast to establish my social status. I knew from what I had seen in the first few weeks of school, Show-and-Tell could be the way to shed the new kid image and blend into the crowd.
I started trying to think about what I had in my world that I could take to school and impress the other kids. Probably my best possession was a dog named Toby. Now, old Toby was as good a dog as any kid ever had. Unfortunately dogs were not allowed to visit school. I bet they were afraid dogs might track down those lost hallway kids no one could find. So I began looking to find some special thing in my world that would put me to the head of the line for the dodge ball team.
Cool weather came early that autumn sending everything outside into fall seasonal hibernation mode. Then on a Saturday morning my Dad was going to Pine Grove and I was going along for the ride. The outside temperature that day was cold and the fallen leaves were blowing across the road. As I sat there in the front seat with my head leaned up against the side window watching the world go by, I saw it. Hanging right there in the tree along the road. Big and gray, shaped just perfectly…. Why, it was just the thing I had been looking for. It was the best hornets’ nest I had ever seen. It was big, real big and it was mine if I could just get Dad to stop and cut it down. “Stop Dad, I need that nest for Show-and-Tell at school. That could be my ticket to captain of the Central Grade Dodgeball team.” Well, dad stops and with help from me cut it down and we put it in the trunk of the car. I may have had my two front teeth missing, but still I had a smile any toothpaste manufacturer would love.
Monday morning came and Dad took my prize and me to school. The nest was too big for me to take on my bus. That made my Show-and-Tell object even better. Yeah, too big for the bus. I proudly carried my armful of Show-and-Tell up the cut stone steps, down the wooden floored hallway to my classroom. As I entered I could hear all the kids saying things like…. “Wow, look at that! Or, what is that”? I was truly going to be in command of Show-and-Tell that Monday morning. Which meant team captain for sure at recess. I would be the one doing the picking this time.
I watched the clock for the time our teacher would announce class Show-and-Tell. Right on time she stood up and said “Class let’s pay attention for today’s Show-and -Tell.” Then she said something I had not anticipated. “Chuck, would you like to go first with your special find?” Me, first I could not believe my ears. With pride welling up in me I took my gray trophy and explained to the class all about the insect’s nest. I gave them all that my seven-year mind knew…it took all of about one and a half minutes. I could tell by the way the kids in my class smiled at me at our ten o’clock milk break, my gray prize and I were a hit.
About an hour later while learning about verbs and pronouns, the first hornet was heard as it flew from inside the nest. Within minutes a dozen more entered the room full of screaming kids. No one had realized when the nest warmed, the dormant insect would return to active life.
The teacher, with great control, hurried us all out of the classroom. With the help of the custodian, my prize Show-and-Tell treasure was banished outside. Needless to say my teacher assigned me to the dodgeball team for the rest of the year. To this day I believe that tragic experience during English class scarred my language skills forever as I looked back Through the Lens.