UPDATE: The contest is now over, and we have our winners!
1st place and winner of a $300 Amazon gift card – Amy Pike
Tied for second and both winners of an $80 Amazon gift card – Renee Schuls-Jacobson and Julie DeVisser
Congratulations to all!
Now, I know you’re dying to see the answer key, so, without further ado, here it is!
Did you guess me?
Here’s me, then and now. How much have I changed?
Let me know if you guessed me, or if I was one of the ones you had trouble figuring out.
And go visit the other blogs below, and see their then and now pictures side by side!
I don’t remember my kindergarten teacher’s name, or what we did most of our days in class. It’s the strange details that stand in my memory. The floor in the hall was a marbled black and white; and in the classroom, a multicolored carpet. We wrote with chubby pencils, and the teacher and her assistant would walk around telling each of us how much our pencils were screaming because we were gripping them too tightly.
What I learned most in kindergarten had nothing to do with reading or writing. It was about talking – or, to be more accurate, how sometimes, you should not.
I was filled with curiosity, and everything sparked a “Why?” So I asked “Why?” Pretty much all day, every day.
And I talked.
And talked.
And talked.
The day that is seared into my brain is the one day I was disciplined. I was talking too much (shocker), and the teacher wrote my name on the chalkboard. That was standard practice: you get in trouble, your name went on the board.
Never in my short life had I been so mortified.
I’m still a talker. Big time. My husband has been known to say I have no filter. He may be right. But the first place I learned that my mouth can get me into trouble, and that sometimes, I might want to consider keeping it shut?
Kindergarten.
It’s not surprising that as an adult, I’ve become a blogger and a writer. Professions that remind me of that all-important lesson from kindergarten every single day. Seriously. I think about my name on that board every day. And then I usually open my mouth anyway, but at least it gives me pause, right?
So, to commemorate all the wonderful things we learned in kindergarten, as well as our amazing collection of haircuts, I’m joining some of the most fabulous bloggers around (there are 23 of us total) to do something super fun for you, dear readers. We present:
It’s very simple – just match the picture (with the assigned alphabet) to the blogger whose blog is listed below. What’s in it for you? Other than some fun (and it’s fun, promise), you can win an awesome $300 Amazon gift card. You can also get to know some of the bloggers listed here, if you don’t already. You can have a laugh at our expenses. Don’t worry, we did. Now, go forth and play!
Enter your answers on this form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qwSRhga4-tpR4_dmP7F8kKZrCLzRn0AnyVgtrnfssMs/viewform).
Participating bloggers, in alphabetical order:
Angela of Angela Amman
Angie of Angie Kinghorn
Deborah of Ask Doctor G
Robin of Farewell Stranger
Poppy of Funny or Snot
Leigh Ann of Genie in a Blog
Greta of Gfunkified
Jennifer of Jennifer P. Williams
Tonya of Letters for Lucas
Kiran of Masala Chica
Laura of Mommy Miracles
Natalie of Mommy of a Monster (and Twins)
Brittany of Mommy Words
Jessica of My Time as Mom
Kimberly of Reflections of Now
Tracy of Sellabit Mum
Elaine of The Miss Elaine-ous Life
Sarah of The Sunday Spill
Galit of These Little Waves
Kristin of Two Cannoli
Arnebya of What Now and Why
Kristin of What She Said
Alison of Writing, Wishing
Terms and conditions apply:
- You must be 18 years or older to enter.
- This contest is only open to residents of USA and Canada.
- This contest is open from March 11 – 15, 2013 (closes at 9pm Eastern).
- Visit the link above, where you will be able to enter your guess for each blogger pictured. (All information will be kept private.)
- The person to correctly match all the faces with their blog will win a $300 Amazon gift card. The two other closest guesses will each win one $80 Amazon gift card.
- If more than one person correctly matches all the faces with their blogs, we will randomly pick a winner via random.org.
- If no one guesses all the faces correctly, the winner will be the person who made the most correct guesses.
- This is not a sponsored post. Prizes are paid for out of the participating bloggers’ own pockets.
- You CAN enter more than once!
- Winners will be announced week of March 18.
“Name That Kindergartner” was inspired by the “Name That DIY Blogger” contest, over at My Blessed Life.
Oh how I love learning this slice of your story — meant to be blogger, for sure!
Absolutely love being a part of this with you!!
Yep. Those that cannot shut up, blog.
And get their names written on a big blackboard called the Internet.
Having so much fun with this–so glad we’re doing it!
Yay, go team!
And oh my – I’d have been mortified too. No wonder you think about it every day!
You mean to say you never got your name on the board?
I am sitting here for the last hour with like 900 windows open.
DAMN YOU ALL!!!
* So great to see you tonight, even though it was brief! Talk soon! <3
Made my night getting to run into you last night! I can’t believe you stayed up that late doing all that matching! Do you think you got us all?
Oh the names on the chalkboard! Such an embarrassing thing. Love being a part of this with you!
Ditto, babe.
Oh man. Name on board. Sheesh, Teacher, really?
Love that you’re a wordsmith. So you. Also love doing this with you and all the other word-loving ladies!
Public shaming, kindergarten-style. Amazingly effective.
This has been a fabulous collaboration! Can’t wait to see if someone can see us through all our hair….
Come to think of it, my son’s K teacher has a list of the kids names on a poster, if you break a rule she puts a little dot by your name. Works really well. Hard to imagine my 5th grade son and his classmates caring about that, these K teachers are really on to something!
Yes! Just like I said to Alison, it’s public shaming, kindergarten-style. And it totally works.
By the time you get up to 5th grade, I think you’d have to be like that guy who made his child wear a sign on a street corner that said, “I lied to my dad.”
Naughty, naughty, talker-girl! lol
You know me. I’m all out there. Not like you. You’re sellabit. Snort.
Angie! we were the opposite! I was so so quiet and shy. But I always liked having a friend like you who didn’t mind talking and speaking her mind. Eventually I got my name on the board, but it took a few years. heehee.
Talkers and shy people sometimes click well. Two talkers can just sound like, um, Meet The Press.
I feel so bad for your little kindergarten self! I vaguely remember being disciplined in kindergarten but I don’t remember what I did or how I was disciplined. I doubt it was for talking though.
I’m glad you haven’t changed your ways!
Kindergarten shouldn’t quiet us!
Well, I did need to be quieted a bit. And I did (do?) need a filter. It’s always a good thing to learn that words have consequences. I certainly didn’t stop talking, I’ve just gotten more cagey about it!
I don’t remember what the first line of punishment was, but I do remember that if you got in trouble you would get sent to the corner. I was terrified of having to go back there so I don’t think I ever got in trouble.
Oooh, the corner! That would have been major in our class. I would never have lived through it. And back in the day, if a kid really misbehaved, I remember the principal paddling kids out in the hallway.
Bizarre to even think about that now.
I love how early little personalities develop, and how we remember things like that. I got in trouble for the first time in first grade, and I VIVIDLY remember it.
Amazing how these things stick with you, isn’t it? Especially when you’re raised to be a good girl. 😉
Please never stop talking! I like what you have to say!
Kiran
Oh, I love you, Kiran!!!!
(chuckle) I have no filter either, so I get you.
It’s so true that the “name on the board” thing was mortifying! It’s like your kindergarten teacher is your filter
I am astounded by the things we remember, what things our memories hold onto and bring back and inopportune, or I guess, worthy, times.
All these kindergarten posts are bringing back repressed memories for me. Because in reading this one, I remember that I almost got sent to the office one time for asking a teacher too many questions. Not my teacher – she was very kind and this one was a scary old bitch. And I remember I had done something I wasn’t supposed to do without realizing that I wasn’t supposed to do it and got chastised and told that I should “always ask for permission.” So, for the rest of the day, I asked permission – of everything and everyone. And it must have gotten annoying because this one teacher threatened to send me to the office if I asked her one more question. Um… mixed messages much?
Scary old bitch.
“Your pencils are screaming?” WTF, crazy teacher? Ha.
I waited a whole year until 1st grade to get in trouble – I had to sit in the “Think” chair. Now that I’ve read your story, I’m going to wear is as a badge of honor.
Same here. My report cards were always good with grades but my teachers usually always put the caveat “she talks too much” on there as well. And girl, I absolutely know the “write your name on the board” walk of shame. It’s all good.
So fun doing this with all you girls!! 😀