From 1970 to 1971, I was in Mr. Bogh's sixth grade class at Canoas Elementary School in the Meadowbrook neighborhood (now Canoas Garden) in San José.
A.V. Monitors
During the course of the year, students were given the opportunity to act as audio visual (a.v.) monitors for several weeks. The monitors worked in pairs, and when my opportunity came, I was paired up with my classmate Rick, who we called "Moose". Every morning, the a.v. monitors would pick up the a.v. request form from the office. This form listed what equipment was needed where and at what time. If there were no requests on a particular day, we would occasionally write one in, usually around math period.
Fake A.V. Requests
When we had a request, we'd go down to the a.v. closet, which was right off the entrance to the boy's restroom, we'd roll out the requested equipment (e.g. movie projector, television, slide projector, record player, etc.), take it to the particular classroom, and then set things up. Later we would go back and return the equipment to the closet. On the days that we wrote in fake requests, we'd go sit in the a.v. closet and talk.
On one such day, Moose decided to share with me some new information that he'd discovered about "the birds and the bees". Now my mother had pretty much covered the topic, except for a few details. On that day Moose provided a few additional details, so I'd have to say that even playing hooky in an a.v. closet could be an educational experience.
Our Rewards
At the end of a monitor's tenure, they would be rewarded with a giant Hershey's chocolate bar. My particular reward evoked some laughter, as Mr. Bogh presented me with a giant can of raviolis. This was in recognition of my well-known love for the Italian dish.
Further Reading in the California Room
- California Room Index: Canoas neighborhood
- California Room Index: San José Unified School District
- Looking Back Blog Post about Canoas Elementary School
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