A Blast From The Past

The Nation ran an article about Pete Seeger written by Studs Terkel in 2005, honoring Pete on his 86th birthday.

“For sixty-five years, he has held forth continuously through periods known more for their bleakness than for their hope: the cold war, the witch hunt, and the civil rights and civil liberties battles. Pete has been in all of them. Wherever he was asked, when the need was the greatest, he, like Kilroy, was there.”

--Studs Terkel

Pete Seeger was born on March 3rd, 1919, in French Hospital, New York City, NY. As a folk singer and an iconic figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival, Seeger was one of the folk singers most responsible for popularizing the spiritual "We Shall Overcome." This spiritual became the acknowledged anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. Folk singer and activist Guy Carawan had introduced “We Shall Overcome” at the founding meeting of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960.

Below is another favorite of Seeger’s works during the unrest so prevalent at the time.

What Did You Learn in School Today?

What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned that Washington never told a lie.
I learned that soldiers never die.
I learned that everybody's free,
And that's what the teacher said to me.

Chorus

That's what I learned in school today,
That's what I learned in school.
What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned that policemen are my friends.
I learned that justice never ends.
I learned that murderers die for their crimes
Even if we make a mistake sometimes.

Chorus

What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned that Government must be strong;
It's always right and never wrong;
Our leaders are the finest men
And we elect them again and again.

Chorus

What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?

I learned that war is not so bad;
I learned about the great ones we have had;
We fought in Germany and in France
And someday I might get my chance.


Soon, public school will be a thing of the past, replaced by charter schools. And that’s really too bad, since I am the product of public school education. In fact, as a kid, I attended first through fifth grades at Public School 1. Can you believe it? As kids we would shout "the first school built in Queens!" That is, without really knowing what we were shouting about.

A few years ago, my husband and I visited PS1. Today, it is an art gallery--an appropriate use of the grand, historic red brick building.

There were hardwood floors throughout the school. Probably oak...the very hardwood so cherished by consumers today. All the desks were removed to make the building look more gallery-like. Frankly, I think the bolted-down desks should have been left in place.

The modern art hanging along the walls seemed incongruous with the grand old architecture of the building. Gallery visitors could have navigated their way around the desks, which today would add to the charming touch of nostalgia and historic atmosphere. I could almost see the children seated in the neatly arranged rows.

In the fourth grade, we were finally allowed to dip our straight pens into the inkwells located in the right corner of each desk. This was the first sign to us children that we were being treated responsibly and in a grown-up fashion. Getting a “loaded” pen to paper was challenging for a fourth grader. Ink blots were common on desks, paper, and clothes. Thank goodness for blotters!

There even was a group called “The Ink Spots.” Remember them?