I was in the 6th grade. We had Mrs. Sable. Mrs. Sable was assigned the most disruptive, the most maladjusted, the most disorderly, incorrigible, problematic boys in the entire Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. To this day, I have no idea why I was placed among this catastrophe of misfits. (In the field of study called psychology the previous sentence is known as an indicator of “denial”).
As we entered the classroom that morning, we were stunned and shocked. MRS. SABLE HAD PLACED A TELEVISION RIGHT THERE IN THE FRONT OF THE ROOM! Naturally black and white, it was still very modern and remarkable because it was called a “portable “ TV. It could be moved around as opposed to the furniture-like monstrosity in one’s living room at home.
We saw that Captain Kangaroo (or at least I Love Lucy) was not on. It was the news (gal dern it!). Little did we know we would see the event of “our up to then” lifetimes. We thought Mrs. Sable would get in a lot of trouble and get fired and that would be terrible because we loved her and knew what creeps we could be and she still always loved us. In the 1950’s and early 60’s, teachers were not allowed to “think out of the box.” Anything non-conventional or non-traditional like a television, got you an automatic hearing before the school board. We were taught with a chalk board and a book. Period.
It was May 5, 1961. Our country WAS GOING TO PUT A MAN IN SPACE today! This was no comic book stuff and no “much too short” 4 minute Flash Gordon episode. An indescribable wave of fear captured us because we knew the spaceman could get killed in this risky matter. The spaceman’s name was Alan Shepard.
They shot him up into space and then he came down in the thing with a parachute right into to ocean. The helicopter got him and they flew to the aircraft carrier. It took 15 minutes. In our pre adolescent minds we were not mature enough in language to express or verbalize it, but we knew a new age had begun that day. It was also meaningful because as the spaceman took off, each of us transported a tiny piece of ourselves, in our own imaginary way, to be with him in the rocket ship. And that was the day Mrs. Sable brought a TELEVISION to school.
32 responses to “The Day Mrs. Sable Brought A TELEVISION to School by Carl D’Agostino”
Val Erde
March 23rd, 2011 at 21:19
Great post, Carl – one of your best (which is not to say that the others aren’t good!) and I look forward to many more of your memories. How about one with a pic of a (hint) rolltop desk…?
We didn’t have TV in any of the schools I went to. But we had dreary radio broadcasts in my primary school that we had to sing along to. That was in the 1950s in England.
And if it’s any consolation, I was pronounced ‘maladjusted’ by the school authorities. So, who am I to argue?!
😉
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carldagostino
March 23rd, 2011 at 21:58
I never sent the bad kids to the office when I was teaching. I called their home but did not tell their parents. I spoke with the child. I showed them they would not get away with anything and that I would make home contact but because I never told their parents they loved me and were always well behaved the rest of the year. Rick has a camera computer thing. I will send you a pic of the desk and of the chess set I carved. Thank you for supporting my blog.
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carldagostino
March 22nd, 2011 at 23:45
Things like that day make me appreciate time time of the world’s history into which I was born, the things I’ve seen. Several hundred years from now 1975-2000 will be seen as perhaps the most dramatic and eventful time of all esp with the tech/knowledge explosion.
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blackwatertown
March 22nd, 2011 at 22:28
Good teacher. I don’t remember an episode like that from my school days.
We sometimes had some drama outside the gates and later on evacuations. But somehow we weren’t encouraged to look at the world outside.
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carldagostino
March 22nd, 2011 at 23:42
I have often wondered if I would prefer to have lived in another time in the past or in the future. Things things such as that day make me appreciate the things I have seen and done and would not trade them for different experiences. I especially love the invention of the micro-wave oven. I have been a bachelor for 27 years now so I am sure you can imagine why.
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carldagostino
March 22nd, 2011 at 17:27
She took a bold step embracing the technology of “the future” So much for alleged visionaries that run the school systems. Thanks for commenting.
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suzicate
March 22nd, 2011 at 17:02
Love this, thanks for sharing. And thanks to Mrs. Sable, your entire classroom got to witness the event and share in the making of history.
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Mountain Republic
March 22nd, 2011 at 11:40
I enjoyed your story Carl!
Your 6th grade Mrs. Sable reminded me of my 3rd grade teacher Mrs.Doubles(Double Trouble) She was also assigned the most disruptive, the most maladjusted, the most disorderly, incorrigible, problematic boys in the entire Cleveland Elementary School. I had obviously been placed in the wrong class! She was a tough task master & took no BS from us. I can still hear her stern voice calling out in the hallway: “BOYS….”
The first time I ever saw color TV was on July 20, 1969. I bet you can probably guess the first thing I watched on it!
MR
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carldagostino
March 22nd, 2011 at 11:54
No one went to afternoon classes that day at Florida Southern College. All of us Pi Kappa Alphas were glued to the TV in our dorm lounge. Oh, how we cheered and cheered and the cheers erupted from every building on campus. Yes the cheers echoed and echoed. Unfortunately we now feel like the title of that President Wilson biography “When the Cheering Stopped” Has no American accomplishment retained that glory we felt that day?
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Carol Ann Hoel
March 21st, 2011 at 09:05
That was indeed a momentous day in history. Your teacher gets kudos for breaking out of the box and bringing in a TV for her students. Blessings to you, Carl…
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carldagostino
March 21st, 2011 at 09:13
I like mushroom and black olive pizza. Thanks for visiting. Look forward to reading your blog posts.
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The Good Greatsby
March 21st, 2011 at 00:31
You can’t blame yourself for being labeled a misfit boy. Sometimes one or two bad seeds bring it out in others and maybe a bad seed brought it out in you…unless you were the one who brought it out in them…
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carldagostino
March 21st, 2011 at 08:13
They told me not to get in with the wrong crowd. I was the wrong crowd. Hahaha. But I was not mean or abusive or a criminal kid. A plotter, a schemer maybe and quite the artist as I recall. I came around though. Mrs. Sable was one of the reasons I was an 11th grade American History teacher for 34 years. Inner city, minority, drugs,violence and poverty. My mischievous past prepared me to operate successfully under those most unpleasant circumstances. Don’t believe all the travel ads. Miami is no playground. GG thanks for your comment this morning.
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planejaner
March 20th, 2011 at 18:46
Carl–what a fabulously hopeful thing to get to watch, live.
I don’t have anything that fabulous to share…the things I saw were disasters: Reagan getting shot, 9/11 live, the Challenger blowing up…
thank goodness “Glee” is on tv…or I might put my head in an oven, a la Sylvia Plath. (alas, mine is electric…)
blessings
jane
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carldagostino
March 20th, 2011 at 22:16
We don’t see the history happening all around us. This past three decades will be seen as quite dramatic and revolutionary by people a few hundred years from now.
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nrhatch
March 20th, 2011 at 18:42
Ha! You’re older than me. I was still a pre-schooler when Alan Shepard debuted space flight. 😀
But you’re probably also funnier than me, as evidenced by:
To this day, I have no idea why I was placed among this catastrophe of misfits. (In the field of study called psychology the previous sentence is known as an indicator of “denial”).
{{shrugs}} More life. More material to draw upon. 😉
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carldagostino
March 20th, 2011 at 22:12
Yeah, I gotcha by a dozen years or so. A few years later that nice lady Mrs. Weir down the block let all the kids come over to watch Batman on Thursday nights. Mrs. Weir had a COLOR TV right there in her living room. It was just like at the movie theater. She also had air conditioning. We loved Mrs. Weir.
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nrhatch
March 20th, 2011 at 22:17
Air Conditioning + Color TV + Batman = Perfect Together!
“Goodbye, Mrs. Weir . . . we’ll see you next week. Same bat time. Same bat channel.”
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kateshrewsday
March 20th, 2011 at 16:03
Clever lady, that Mrs Sable.
I loved this post, Carl.
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carldagostino
March 20th, 2011 at 16:08
Thank you. We loved Mrs. Sable. Her father was a Presbyterian minister as were the fathers of four other of my elementary school teachers. She let me produce and direct all the art related projects in the classroom.
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lifeintheboomerlane
March 20th, 2011 at 05:33
I was in 8th grade. It was my 14th birthday, and the day will forever be tied to that in my mind.
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carldagostino
March 20th, 2011 at 06:36
And I in the 9th when we lost JFK
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markp427
March 20th, 2011 at 02:49
I love that you saw this live! What a great experience. I guess the closest I can relate to is, like perpetuallypeeved, the Challenger disaster. I was in 11th grade and a TV in the classroom was still a novelty then.
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carldagostino
March 20th, 2011 at 06:35
There is much history yet to come. A lot of times we don’t recognize the magnitude of events because we are living through them. 1975-2000 will be seen as one of the most revolutionary times of all because of the increase in knowledge and technology applications.
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nursemyra
March 19th, 2011 at 18:28
nice memory
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carldagostino
March 19th, 2011 at 19:15
It seems not much of anything impresses people these days
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carldagostino
August 17th, 2010 at 21:32
For 911 I had the TV on in my class (they all have them now mostly for in-house stuff), saw the second tower get hit and assistant principal came in and demanded I turn it off because I was supposed to be teaching the lesson!
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perpetuallypeeved
August 17th, 2010 at 21:21
The first time I ever watched TV in school was in 1986. I was 9 and they led us all into the library and had the TV on live for the launch of the Challenger. Horrible, traumatizing experience. Bet you that teacher kicked themself in the ass.
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carldagostino
August 16th, 2010 at 12:33
I’m not sure which amazed me more: Freedom 7 or the TV. Armstrong did land on the moon and as proof I can offer you a moon rock for just $29.95 shipping included! 15% discounted if purchased by the gross.
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gallowaygrave
August 16th, 2010 at 12:25
Al Shepherd’s trip was when I was very young (6) but I do recall watching all the Moonlanding tv live, (assuming that it happened?).
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carldagostino
August 16th, 2010 at 01:32
This is why I am comfortable with my age because I’ve seen all these things. More will be revealed.
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Judy
August 16th, 2010 at 00:17
Love it!
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