Recent activity at the Independence Charter School here in Philadelphia, located next to our newspaper’s corporate offices, caught my attention. While a waiting list has apparently been in place for admission to this school for many years, I was particularly intrigued by what occurred in relationship to their process for selecting new students for the next school year.

It was reported that more than 1,000 applications were received for just forty-four open slots; slots that were filled through a lottery process. One need not wonder why there was such interest in admission to the Independence Charter School. I am not surprised as I see the pride, motivation and desire to learn in their faces as they go to and from school.

This experience quickly brought me back to the reality of the failures of too many of our schools; failures that obviously drove these one thousand-plus families to participate in this lottery. This is not an indictment of the Philadelphia School District, as the problems we read and hear about are found in far too many school districts across the country. I constantly tell myself that a day will come when things will be better. I tell myself that someday those buildings that we used to enter will again be venues for meaningful instruction and development.

Such thoughts invariably take me back to school buildings that contained some of those things that were not unique to any one school but found in most schools, back then. It gives me a warm feeling and in some cases, “goose bumps” when I think about some of those activities that aided immensely in building the men and women that we are today; activities that were not just curriculum-driven but other school activities that we used to engage in as innocent little kids, attending elementary school, back in the day.

I suspect that many of you can relate to how special school was in the past. Yes, we have school crossing guards today but thoughts of my elementary school days immediately resurrect images of the safety patrol. You could not have been in school during my era without remembering boys, standing on street corners, directing other students across the street. It is hard to forget those white cloth belts supported by a diagonal strap going over the right shoulder. We may not have known, back then, but this was a Sam Browne; a belt that was often seen as part of a military or police uniform.

I still recall the corner where I stood. Not only do I remember standing on the northwest corner of 44th and Aspen streets at Martha Washington Elementary School but I can still see the other boys guarding the other corners, particularly the boy standing on the corner of Aspen and Lex streets. While my image of him includes a guitar over his shoulder as he helped children cross the street, none of us could imagine that he would develop into one of the great jazz pianists. Yes, McCoy Tyner, like many boys attending my elementary school served on the safety patrol. Tyner was one of the many boys and girls that schools provided the impetus to be someone, back in the day.

While I enjoyed my time on the safety patrol, I did not like the “duties” that we were required to perform inside of the classroom. You may recall tasks that were referred to as “duties.” How many of you were designated to raise and lower the shades or the top part of the classroom windows with a long pole? Were you selected or assigned to take the erasers out to the fire escapes to either clap the erasers together or pound them against the side of a hard surface to get them clean? You must also remember the bench desks; some had an opening in front where books and supplies were stored. You may also recall that some had hinge tops that were lifted up to open in order to store things. Regardless of the type, they both had slots for ink wells. If a youngster sat in a classroom today that had an ink well, then there would be something else going on in the classroom that receives little or no attention in today’s educational environment. Some of you will recall that ink wells on desks meant that there would be ink bottles as well as fountain pens. This also meant that there was considerable emphasis on “penmanship,” or writing cursive, instruction that is virtually unheard of today but was a significant aspect of the learning experience, back in the day.

Some of you will recall classes on citizenship. Others may recall classes dealing with personal hygiene. There was exposure to music even if your involvement was limited. You may also recall that everyone sang in the school chorus or choir. There seemed to have been “plays,” usually around holidays, where we demonstrated our acting ability. This was the Dramatics Club. Like some of you, here I am some 60 years removed from my experiences participating in the Dramatics Club and my director, Goldie Watson, remains a part of this activity. Like most teachers, back then, Goldie Watson’s impact on my growth and development went beyond the Dramatics Club as she took me aside many years ago during rehearsal for an upcoming event and showed me how to blow my noise. Such experiences of teachers dealing with a youngster’s personal issues were not uncommon, back in the day.

I wear Ben Franklin-styled, wire-framed glasses today. While I did not wear glasses during my elementary school days, wearing this style of glasses always take me back to the type of medical services that children received in school in the past. You may recall that the Ben Franklin type glasses were given to children, if needed, free of charge. Glasses came as a result of free eye examinations for all children. Children also received physical examinations in an attempt to identify medical issues that warranted more comprehensive examinations. These medical services also included dental examinations. You must recall classroom exercises where we were shown how to brush our teeth as well as lessons on good dental hygiene and proper diet. It is hard to believe the controversy in our schools today with regard to not having trained personnel to carry out medical services. As you will recall, the school nurse was a permanent fixture in all of our schools, back in the day.

How many of you remember the “cloak room?” This was a small enclosed area usually in the rear of the classroom. The cloakroom was simply a coatroom. We all had hooks designated for hanging our coats. A few of us went to the cloak room for reasons other than hanging our coats. The cloak room was also designated as a place for punishment. However, I do not remember many bad kids. While it may surprise some of you younger folk, we had no security guards in school, particularly elementary schools, back then.

Gym classes were meaningful and challenging in the past. You just could not go to the gymnasium and sit in the bleachers. Let me take you back in time to climbing the ropes; swinging on the bars; exercising on the “horses;” doing flips on the mats; and, running dashes from one end of the gym to the other. We received even more exercise as we ran home around 12 noon. You must remember that we went home for lunch while in elementary school. While the Philadelphia Saving Society Bank (PSFS) is no longer around, if you were around in the 50’s, its relationship to school banking programs must come to mind. There was great emphasis on children having bank accounts, back then. If you remember the banking program, you must remember graham crackers and milk in the morning hours. Of course, this was nap time where the shades were pulled down and the lights were turned off. Teachers also visited your home to meet with your parents. Visits to some children were not always by teachers, but by truant officers because of absenteeism.

I do not recall any issues with regard to schools having insufficient funds, back then. Nor do I recall unions. I do, however, recall the involvement of parents. They were welcomed with opened arms; appointments to visit teachers and classrooms were unnecessary. Parents were respectful as well as courteous. Most of us can still see our teachers and how smartly and professionally dressed; our students were also well dressed. There were no sneakers, except for gym, back then. Girls wore nice dresses while boys wore slacks. Slacks were worn waist high and not down below one’s posterior. Cursing was curtailed by being sent to the principal’s office to get a cup of soapy water to rinse out one’s mouth. Do you still yearn for one last walk across those marble foyers that were at the entrance of most schools? I know you remember that we could not walk in these areas as they were typically roped off. Morning devotions required someone to read a scripture from the Bible. If not, then perhaps you recall silent prayer. Did prayer really hurt anyone or did prayer help to foster principles, values, standards and hope?

We all know the shame with regard to what is occurring in our schools today. If you do not know then you have not read a newspaper lately, listened to the radio or watched television lately. Indeed the state of our public schools is unfortunate. Indeed, much of what we experienced as elementary school youngsters was very precious; very precious. While much must be done in our classrooms to positively impact test scores in our schools, I have little doubt that we could make a significant dent in returning to the greatness of our educational experience without running off to charter or private schools. We could do much by returning to some of those small, seemingly innocent things that many of us experienced as elementary-age children, back in the day.

Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146.