When I was five years old I started school in pre-kindergarten at the Grace Christian Academy. The principal, Dr. Somebody, had a wooden paddle in a box named "The Coffin." It had batteries, wires, and switches connected to it. Rumors were told about "the electric paddle."

However, it was the end of an era and schools were no longer allowed to spank children. The Coffin sat on the shelf as a reminder as to what would have happened. The most memorable experience of that first year in school, was winning second-place in the science fair with my Tonka crane I added an electro-magnet to (something I'd learned about from a Saturday morning cartoon).