Random thoughts

accompanied by random photos!! This was A9 Pin Day - something I bet none of you have ever even heard of.

For starters, LA Unified used to start and end school years in January and June - If you started kindergarten in February, you graduated 12 years later in January. Conversely, if you started in September, you graduated in June.

I don't know how many years ago they did away with it, but at the time, Mom and Dad had to decide whether to put a kid up or put them back.

It had definite benefits to my way of thinking. For one thing, no one in your grade level was more than 6 months older or younger than you. And the class that ended in January was always smaller - some parents seemed to prefer the June graduation - so my graduating class had 90 students - and I knew most of them well -which I consider a plus.

When I graduated in January of 1963, I had many months to work before starting at BYU in September - which was another plus for me.

Also, since you were separate classes, the first part of the year was B - as in B10 or B5 - and then the second semester - regardless of whether is was spring or fall - was called A - as in A10 and A5. I enjoyed changing all my classes every semester - I often wondered how my kids could stand the same teachers for an entire year. And as a teacher, I often wish we were doing the same thing - changing every semester!!

Junior high was 7th, 8th and 9th grade - and A9 was the big year - at the beginning of A9 we got pins that we wore each day that designated us as big Kahunas. And the day we got them was called, fittingly enough, A9 Pin Day.

My dress was brown and my mom and I made it - and I thought it was pretty stylin'!!

LA Unified was growing rapidly in the 50's and our school was brand new - as you can tell by the construction - we were in portables for all the time I was there. LA Unified gets a bad rap these days - but my school experience was outstanding - I felt that my first year of college was easier than my last year of high school. And my mom says many of her neighbors are happy with the schools they have. I mostly think the district is just too large and unwieldy.

Like I said, random thoughts - and a random photo.