Teacher Lippy Hangs Clothespins on My Ears and Nose, Gives X’s, Y’s, and Z’s, and Tries to Date my Mom

OK, so you probably know there are some unusual teachers out there. Guess that’s always been true. Let me tell you about one of the most attention-grabbing teachers I've ever had. Lippy’s real name was Mr. Lipniski, but he told us to call him Lippy because it was easier to say. He created a “Doodlebug Club” that you could join by getting points for doing good work and good behavior. Everybody wanted to be in that club because of the prizes. He loved his students but was not afraid to give the discipline needed. 

One day in class, a girl friend and I decided to set up a clothes line between our desks. We thought this would be an excellent and quiet way to send notes. To accom­plish this I brought in rope to connect our two desks and then clothespins to hang our messages with. Lippy must have watched our scheme with amuse­ment, and then boldly came to “my” desk, and picked up the clothespins, and hung them on my ears and nose! Totally embarrassing and it hurt. It didn’t take long to learn never to do that again. Today it would probably cause a lawsuit. My third grade twin grandsons, Isaac and Ethan, drew their ideas for what they thought it must have looked like.

Another day, report card day, he passed out everyone’s report cards and let us open them in class. My grades, along with three other outstanding students who normally had excellent grades, were all X’s, Y’s and Z’s! That was a severe blow to the pride of a budding five star learner. Even though he gave out the real report cards before we went home, I never took grades for granted after that.

Lippy also knew we were poor and one day he turned up at our back door with a bag of groceries for us. We were all excited to have some food we wouldn't regularly eat. Then he started asking my mom out on dates. Things changed after that. I don’t know what happened, but the school year ended and we didn’t see him anymore.

My sister’s only memory of early school years was “during art class and we were painting. The teacher thought I had committed some offense (I don't remember what it was), but I hadn't done what she thought and kept telling her so. But she was determined to make me confess and hounded me for days about it. I was quite traumatized over it. Maybe that's why I never liked art to this day! Such an impact these things have on young minds.”

 Last night I had a dream. In the dream I was walking home to our place on Harvard St., with a house key hanging around my neck. When I got to the door of our place, the door was open and it scared me. There was a child (a boy I think) and adult coming out the door. I started to call out loudly in a wobbly voice, “Hello.”  Then I awoke and don't remember anymore. SO, here’s the strange part--in my dream, I actually called aloud a wobbly “Hello” and woke up my sleeping husband! When I woke up I remembered that in fifth grade I could finally walk my sister to school and home again and look after her in our own place. Previously, for two years, we were in a school that had child care and it was pretty chaotic there so my mother was glad when I was old enough to watch my sister at home.  

  During this time, and the years to come, my mother worked for the Pasadena Public Health Department. She had a friend there who had a daughter a little older than me. The woman was quite wealthy and she gave mom all her daughter’s clothes she no longer wanted. These were highly treasured. I remember one skirt that was felt and had a French Poodle on it. the picture below I found online, of course!

Then when I outgrew them, Nancy got them. Treasures in the midst of the journey. We got new clothes once a year--3 dresses at the beginning of the school year from either Robert Hall's or JC Penneys.  Here's a picture of me with my mom. I had on one of my new dresses, and I think I was about ten years old. My mom was very short--only 4'10', and I was almost as tall as her already.