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Newark K-8 education memories continued:
Arnold Bressler (67)
The posting by my classmate Ken Teitelbaum about his father, Dr. Maurice Teitelbaum, prompted a memory of mine. When we were in Maple Avenue School (I don’t remember the grade), Dr. Teitelbaum visited our class to show us slides he took when he was stationed in Germany WWII. No great recollection about the content, although I have a feeling there were pictures of Hamburg. In any event, that was the beginning of my awakening to the fact there was a very wide world outside our neighborhood. I remember Dr. Teitelbaum fondly as a very kind man and a terrific dentist. Arnold
Rita Kravet Rzepka (1/55)
I enjoyed Bill Pollak’s (1/53) recall of teachers at Peshine Avenue School. It brought back some great memories, and reminded me of names I haven’t heard in over 65 years. I remember the names Johnson and Bookbinder vividly, and a Miss or Mrs. Moore in 4th grade. But the rest are a blur. Let’s hear about some
Weequahic teachers, too. Rita
Elaine Davis Lubiner (6/55)
I truly enjoy the memories that come to mind by what others share on this site. We lived on Schuyler Avenue, and I did attend the "Annex" in Hawthorne Avenue School. In the summer after eighth grade at Bragaw, I belonged to a Social Club called The Bluejeans, complete with a bomber jacket embroidered with my name on it. The boys were The Levi's. Our main activity was gathering in the Hawthorne school playground and laughing a lot.
I loved Latin, the language, and its logic, taught by Miss Patton. It was the beginning of my lifelong love of world languages, cultures, and travel. At Weequahic, I continued to take Latin, as well as French with Misters Brenman and Gobeille and Spanish with my much-loved homeroom teacher, Senorita Birnbaum. My husband Alvin and I both taught and supervised World Languages until our retirement and move to Florida Gulf Coast. Elaine
Dan Mont (6/46)
As long as we are speaking about Peshine Avenue School and Mr. J.J O’Sullivan, he was the one teacher who impressed me the most in my life. I believe that he set for me the example as to what my life is all about. He was a man who chose his words very carefully and only spoke them when he thought he had to. For instance, if you were out of step, O’Sullivan would call you up to him to the blackboard. Pointing to your right foot, he took an eraser, swish it around to amass lots of chalk on it, beckon you to lift your right foot to him, and proceed to tap your right toe full of the chalk. He then would look you right in the eye, tap his own temple with his index finger, and then dismiss you back to your position in line. You got the message loud and clear.
If O’Sullivan caught you chewing gum in his class, he handed you a tin cup and a chisel and expect you to go through the hallways of the school and scrape up as much gum as you could find. There was a time that he held a high jumping competition and there were two of us left as finalists. The bar was set, if I can remember, at about 5’ 2”. I missed at that height and the other student was declared the winner. Mr. O'Sullivan, however, mentioned to the class that I was only 4’ 6” and the winner was 5’ 8” tall. That showed me what a class act he was. May he rest in peace. Dan
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