The first day of school.

I found this image online. 

This is exactly like the notebooks which we received FREE from the Vancouver School board on the first day of school; one for each subject. We also got pencils, eraser, crayons, paste, scissors, etc, all provided for FREE. We didn't get a ball point pen until Grade 3 when we were 8 years old.

My Mom provided the box to keep our supplies in. It was always a used chocolate box, covered in mac-tac paper; sticky on one side, a pattern on the other side. I remember she bought it at Harvey's on Kingsway. We kept the box in our desks, and it was never stolen.

One of the very rare going to school photos I have.

We had a strict dress code in those days. Girls wore dresses and weren't allowed to wear pants. I didn't have a knapsack. I carried my books to school in a plastic bread bag, washed out and dried before using of course. I'm wearing a scarf on my head because I was prone to colds and later ear infections.

Here is Leona in the same year; 1967. She was in Kindergarten, so she was 5. I was 7 and in Grade 2 that year. I absolutely loved school! 

By Loretta Houben