The thing I most remember about my first day of first grade is losing my seat. I found a classroom with a list with my name on it and sat down in a desk. Then panic set in. What if that wasn't my name? I got up and looked at the list again. There were two 'Sean's on it (the other Sean in my class was Sean Cahill). I don't remember how much I knew about last names, but I must have been pretty hazy on the concept.
I finally determined that I was indeed in the right class. I went to sit back down in 'my' seat, but it had been occupied by someone else. That felt like a personal affront (though, of course, it wasn't). It turned out that the boy who took my desk was Chad Colony, who would play a huge role in my childhood years.
We attended Clear Creek Elementary School. I look at the faculty listing today and see names from my past: The librarian is the same. Kyle's Kindergarten teacher is still there. My first grade reading teacher is still there. I see the names of mothers of kids that I knew.
Clear Creek Elementary is in Oxford, Iowa (the 'population' figure on this page is impossibly wrong). Oxford is a truly podunk town (meaning no disrespect). There's basically one main street that has a bank, a Ford dealership, two taverns, and a fire station. There are at least two churches, Catholic and Methodist. The presence of these places makes me think Oxford was bigger once.
