2nd Grade: The Year That Will Always Stick

(I can't believe it's taken me this long to write another one of my "school flashback" posts! )


It was the 1986/1987 school year, and I was a 2nd grader at Leesburg Elementary.

Second grade was such a fun year. For the second year in a row, my best friend Tara was in my class. We had such fun together! We were never short on giggles and goofiness. I also made friends with two new students that year.

Lisa and Beth.

They were both new to Leesburg, and I was instantly drawn to both of them. Lisa was so much fun, and fit into our goofy, giggly group, just swimmingly. And then Beth, who appeared shy in the beginning, (that didn't stick!LOL) had the prettiest skin and hair color I had ever seen! That entire year, I secretly wished my hair was long and dark like hers. I'm so thankful for Facebook helping to keep us in contact with each other.♥

And with the power of Facebook, Tara recently helped me remember something that I had forgotten about....

Popple Talk.

Yes, Popple Talk was a language that we made up that year, in honor of Popples. You remember Popples, right? Just in case, here's a commercial.



Popple talk was basically taking the first letter of every word, and making it a P.

Our teacher's name was Mrs. Knoop. (Do you see the humor now?lol)

And speaking of Mrs. Knoop, she was the epitome of what a teacher should be. She was kind, but tough when she needed to be. She had a way of making me feel like I was special, which is something I needed to feel after my first few years of school. Not to mention, I was still adjusting to becoming a big sister.

I remember she gave us empty tin cans, and had us decorate them with construction paper and other things. They were called our "I Can Cups"

Anytime one of us was heard speaking the words, "I can." we were given a poker chip to place in the can. But if we were caught saying, "I can't", a chip was taken away. After some time had passed, she would have an auction filled with small toys and such, that we could bid on with our earned chips.

She understood how important it was for children to simply believe in themselves. And I can honestly tell you that stuck with me.

I also remember her taking us outside around Halloween time, and letting us bob for apples. And in the spring, the "Easter Bunny" hid eggs for us around the playground. ☺

Second grade was also one of the last years, if not the last year, I believed in Santa. (Santa the actual person. If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know how I feel about Santa Claus.♥)


That year, Mrs. Knoop had each of us write a letter to Santa. I remember thanking him for the fox radio I received the year before. I still have that radio. It's simply a stuffed animal, with a radio on the bottom. You can see it in the picture below, up by my head.☺ I also remember asking him how his elves were and Mrs. Claus.

We were all so excited when we received a letter back from Santa! Santa actually read my letter, and wrote me back!  I still have that letter, and will treasure it always.


A few years ago, Mrs. Knoop told me that those letters were written by high school girls. But in my heart, it will always be from Santa Claus.♥



That year, Mrs. Knoop gave each of us a Christmas ornament. And every year since then, it hangs on my Christmas tree. A reminder of childhood, and a teacher who made a difference, in a shy little girl's life.

She will always be my favorite teacher. I've had many good ones, but none quite like Mrs. Knoop. The perfect blend of goofiness and love.♥