Memories themselves are an interesting thing. How do you remember certain events and not others? Not to get too far into the psychology of it all, but usually, the most unforgettable memories are those that are emotional or even traumatic. And so, as I sat here and thought about my earliest memory, I expected to be hit with a significant event that either elicited a lot of emotion or trauma. But in fact, I thought of one that is quite pleasant. How did I know it was my earliest memory? Well, it took place at Crichton Park School in Dartmouth, where I was enrolled in pre-school. I can’t tell you the particulars; like how I got there, or how often I went, or even how old I was. I could’ve asked my parents, but I thought that would be cheating. I wanted the recount of this memory to be as authentic as possible. It’s pretty easy to be clouded with pictures, home videos and countless family stories – and so I chose to pull from exactly what I remember – my earliest memory.
The memories I have of this place are likely not from the same day, but they are collectively from the same place. I know that. So I broke it down into four categories, which I determined must have been my favourite parts about pre-school.
The classroom (s)
We had two classrooms. Depending on the activities we were doing that day, we would be in one or the other. We also had two teachers, one old, one young. Both kind. Duh, they’re pre-school teachers. The walls were mint green and covered in drawings and those Scholastic Choice posters. There was a bathroom right next to the bigger classroom, with old wooden doors.
‘Bring your stuffed animal to school’ day
Who wouldn’t remember this? I recall sitting at my desk, having my stuffed bear in the corner. She was white with a pink bow-tie. It’s funny how much comfort stuffed animals bring to children. I certainly remember a sense of security whenever mine was around. Bringing them to a sometimes-scary place like school was a brilliant opportunity; you could tell by the number of kids who brought them.
Story-time
Story-time was cute. We would all gather in a circle around one of our teachers who would read us a story. I imagine they made us sit in a circle because it’s more interactive. There was other option; you had to scoot up close to your classmates, look at them all around the circle. There was always one kid who would take his time getting to the circle. I can’t remember his name, but he was a bit of a shit disturber. It was like come on. It’s the same thing every time, you have to join us. And he did join us every time, eventually.
Snack-time
If I was still in pre-school, this would still be my favourite part... an apple, raisins, peanut butter & crackers. I’m sure they switched it up, but this is the snack I remember. You’d just be sitting there with your grubby little hands holding onto a crayon for dear life, waiting to hear the words ‘snack time!’
I forgot to mention, my favourite pre-school outfit was a pink and blue tracksuit. That memory may be clouded by the pre-school group picture I have at home. Oops, not entirely authentic, but either way, at least I know I attended pre-school in style. Not much has changed.
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