Classes start on Monday and I’m ready for it. Granted, I’m not a student, so my path is a little easier. I always look forward to the beginning of the school year, the students are all lively and full of hope and promise. The energy is palpable — I love it. With that being said, here are five things I liked and disliked about my own school experiences.
ABOUT 10 ON THE 10TH
10 on the 10th is hosted by Marsha at Marsha in the Middle. In the tradition of old school blogging, she’ll share a list of ten questions or prompts to help us get to know each other better. The linkup goes live on the tenth of the month.
THE PROMPT: Tell us 10 things you liked or disliked about school
6 Things I Liked about School
- Kathy Devine, my elementary school teacher in Colorado Springs, left a lasting impression on me. She used to give us time at the end of the day to play games but only if we completed our work and behaved. I especially cherished when she allowed me, a shy young girl, to bring Kareena to class, a special privilege that meant the world to me. My sisters and I were latchkey kids, and there were times when she’d let me stay after school to help out and she’d drive me home at the end of the day. I’ve tried over the years, without success, to find her because I’d love the opportunity to say “thank you.”
- My fourth grade class was an experimental class, every subject was taught in Spanish. I’m not sure how I ended up in that class but I loooooved it. This started my lifelong interest in foreign languages. In fact, many years later when I was in the Army, I took the Defense Language Aptitude Battery {DLAB}, passed it and was accepted into the Defense Language Institute {an immersive foreign language course taught by the military}. I turned down the opportunity because I would’ve had to leave my toddler daughter with my parents for a year while I studied.
- I know I wouldn’t have survived junior high school had it not been for our librarian, Mr. Wolford. I was your typical nerd — glasses, braces, slightly overweight, etc. The taunts and jeers seemed relentless and soul crushing, and I often felt isolated and alone. That all changed, however, the day I stumbled into the school library and met Mr. Wolford, our librarian. Without a word, he ushered me to a cozy reading nook and handed me a book, quietly providing the refuge I so desperately needed. For the remainder of his time at our school, I would spend my breaks and lunches alongside Mr. Wolford, helping him set up the library’s displays and shelves. He never pried about the bullying I faced, but simply offered me a sanctuary where I could immerse myself in the world of books.
- Art was, hands down, my favorite class. I not only enjoyed creating my own art, but I enjoyed learning about the different artists and how the mediums they used to create. Henry Ossawa Tanner is still one of my favorite artists. His paintings, The Banjo Lesson and The Thankful Poor, are beautifully executed and make me feel all the feels.
- On a whim, my twin sister and I entered the speech and debate competition one year. Held at our school, the event drew a crowd of students and competitors who packed the classroom to cheer us on. The most amusing moment came when we heard not only the kids from our school but students from our competing schools chanting “Go, Twins! Go, Twins!” as we delivered our speeches. While we’re not identical, my sister and I fascinated people because, well, twins.
- As a librarian at a community technical college, I find great joy in witnessing our students’ transformation from students to graduates. Watching them walk across that stage on graduation day makes my heart incredibly happy because I know and understand the role we played in changing their lives and their futures.
- BONUS: I had a love/hate relationship with cafeteria food. I hated everything except for that square pizza. I’m not sure why I liked it but I did. In fact, I loved it.
4 Things I Disliked about School
- Math. When I was in elementary school, I totally enjoyed math. I liked that it made sense, but when I hit junior high, I started to struggle with the concepts. Rather than helping and offering to clarify the areas where I was weak, my instructor yelled at and berated me. Well, not just me, but other students as well. He was terrifying.
- Field Day was the bane of my existence. That and that stupid Presidential Fitness Test, like why did we have to climb a rope? Never in my 51 years have I ever had to shimmy up a rope and then slide back down. And the end of year sports competitions were the worst. I was always the last picked because I was the least athletic. Actually, I wasn’t chosen. The losing team had no choice, they had to take me.
- Junior high and high school were terribly lonely times for me. I was awkward and, for lack a of a better term, nerdy. I was teased a lot because of my thick glasses, freckles, and weight and having a twin sister who was popular, athletic, and consistently voted on the Homecoming Court didn’t help. At all.
- Writing papers. I enjoyed the creative process but hated the actual writing part of it. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to handwritten things, and, back then, everything was written by hand, which meant that I rewrote every. thing. Several times. I wanted all my letters to be the same height, I wanted everything slanted at exactly the same angle. Life was brutal. Thank goodness we were allowed to use typewriters in high school.
I’d love to read your answers to this prompt, please share in the comments below.
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