8th Grade Science

     My science teacher in eighth grade was Mr. Stevens. He was young – perhaps right out of college, cute, and married. We teased him a lot – but we liked him. It was about this time that I was bugging my parents about a record player – just like the other kids my age, I liked the top forty being played on the radio – it was the era of the Beatles and the Monkees and I wanted to have records.

     Dad said I could get a record player if I raised my science grade – I don't remember now if it was to move it from a C to a B or from a B to an A – our first grades came out in November and the second quarter grades were issued in late January. I told him my grade would definitely go up.

     And so Santa brought a hi-fi for Christmas! It was mono, not stereo, and it was all mine – my brothers were younger and were not interested in the radio or top 40 at that time. I was so excited – and as mentioned before, Gary Lewis and the Playboys Greatest Hits was the first album I got. 

     I thought I would want to collect 45s – and I remember putting my pennies together one day when Mom announced she was going to Woolworth's and I bought Please Don't Ever Leave Me by the Cyrkle, whose biggest hit was actually Red Rubber Ball – but 45s turned out to not be my thing.

     All through the next January I watched my science grade – it had gone up – but just before report cards were issued a test was returned and my average went a smidgen below the grade I had promised my Dad it would be. I walked up to Mr. Stevens after class and announced with a voice that was about to break out into tears, “I hope you are happy that you have just gotten my record player taken away from me!”

     Mr. Stevens gave a look of mild surprise and then ignored me.

     Perfect response.

     I knew it was not his fault my average was not high enough.

     What I did not know was whether or not Dad would really take the record player away if my promise had not been kept about raising my science grade.

     I was allowed to keep the record player – actually, I think at that point it was not even an issue – or perhaps Dad realized how sincere I had been about raising the grade and how hard I had tried – I don't know.

     What is interesting now, after all this time, is that I knew then I wanted to major in science in college, and yet I beat myself up in junior high to get a better science grade for a mono record player – and that is the only memory of 8^th grade science that I can now bring back to mind!

     Years later, when I was getting my first apartment after graduating from college with an actual degree in biology, Mom and I were again in Woolworth's, this time shopping for kitchen and cleaning gadgets for my new place. When we walked out, I was goofing on Mom with a mop and a broom and I passed a man who was giving me a big amused grin. At first I thought the smile was because Mom and I were so entertaining – but by the time we got to the car I realized that the man was Mr. Stevens! I wanted to run back and tell him I had done good after all – but I didn't because …...after all.....he had just seen me waving a mop and a broom after my Mom.

158 20150607 8^th Grade Science