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John B. Monlux: Man, Myth, or Legend?
It was the first day of school in September of 1986 and I was the most recent teacher hired at John B. Monlux Elementary School in North Hollywood, California. Dressed in my new outfit I had ordered from the L.L. Bean catalogue I walked proudly through the gate and into the main office to sign my time card.
This was the school I had wanted to work at since I had done a long term stint as a substitute in the spring. The teachers and parents were friendly and the administrators had taken a liking to me. As I entered the office I got caught in a shuffle of people coming in and out on this first day of the school year. The office manager, Frances Stanley motioned for me to move to the right so she could see something behind me. I quickly shifted my weight from my right foot to my left and she smiled in appreciation.
It was the bulletin board behind me that she wanted to see. It was decorated with images of crayons and rulers and other school items and said “Back to School” at the top. The bulletin board was inside of a glass display case against a backdrop of red butcher paper.
“Good morning, Mrs. Green,” Mrs. Stanley said over the cacophony of voices, bells ringing, the intercom, and cars. What a noisy place a school could be before classes began.
