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I never cared for report cards.
That might have something to do with the details they provided. You know, grades and those little notes from teachers.
I saved most of them (of course). And recently, I had to pull them out to analyze them. This was inspired by a Smithsonian magazine article that told me I had something in common with Benjamin Franklin.
According to the article, “Before Benjamin Franklin became a printer, newsman, author, inventor, philosopher, diplomat and founding father of the U.S., he failed math twice.”
“Well, hello, Ben,” I thought. “I feel your pain, buddy.”
Franklin’s dilemma got me curious about my early schooling. The formative years. The data is clear: I was a poor student.
Mrs. Olive Howard, a second-grade teacher at Elburn Elementary, set the tone for many of the reports sent to my parents. She said I “needed improvement” in accepting responsibility, following directions, finishing work, using spare time well and listening attentively. With numbers, I did not understand meanings, could not reason well in solving problems and struggled with subtraction.
Grade three was similar, but I should note I spent the first half of the school year attending Ellwood Elementary in DeKalb. I finished the second half back in Elburn.
The DeKalb teacher noted I had trouble “listening attentively while others are talking” and underscored “unsatisfactory progress” with addition and subtraction. There also was an interesting back-and-forth with my mother.
Teacher: “Needs to study his addition and subtraction facts. He is a good reader and is showing great growth in his vocabulary and comprehension.”
Mom: “Please send some homework home. We will help him as much as possible. He is a little hard of hearing, so that may have a little to do with why he doesn’t listen.”
Teacher: “I’m glad you mentioned his hearing. He seems to constantly ask, ‘What page?’ Now I know why. He still needs to work on his addition and subtraction facts. He is a good reader.”
Hard of hearing? Good play, Mom. Please note my vocabulary was growing, but my writing skills were lacking, the Elburn teacher said.
Fifth and sixth grades were at Lynn G. Haskin Elementary in Sandwich. Apparently, I weighed 65 pounds and was 4.5 feet tall in 1958. (I also was one of the fastest runners in the school. They failed to mention that.)
My grades were not terrible. (Except math, of course. D’s and C’s.) My writing skills still needed work, dropping to C’s. Might be a clue in this note to my parents:
“Lonny seems to have gone from the extremity of shiness to exceeding boldness. In arithmetic, he seems to draw a blank – that is, seemingly closes his mind to it. Personal help from home may help.” (It did not. Mom should have noted the teacher misspelled shyness. And my “boldness” might have been outspoken pride in my running skills.)
The teacher later noted: “Lonny’s attitude toward school work doesn’t seem too good.” (My favorite class was recess with lots of running games.)
After seventh grade, the messages were in code: grades and numbers to reflect effort. I got B’s in English, but the effort marks were shaky.
All those reports do not show a passion for writing. It had to be all those years of journalism, putting together stories about and for people. And reading. They blend well.
My grades were accurate. But, hey, I never failed a course. I don’t think I have ever used algebra. And I learned that learning never stops.
Oh, one more thing. As my third-grade teacher noted, I played well with others. And I still do.
• Lonny Cain, retired managing editor of The Times in Ottawa, also was a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet in the 1970s. His Paperwork email is lonnyjcain@gmail.com, or mail The Times, 110 W. Jefferson St., Ottawa, IL 61350.