10 April 1961
Sixty years ago today,
My first day at school and the teacher asked
“Who can write your name?”
Up shot my hand. I can remember my ponytail swinging as I strode to the front. (Though it was already escaping from its ribbon.)
I wrote my name “LYNNE” in chalk on the board.
The Y was wobbly but it looked alright.
And the teacher turned and said
“That is WRONG. You don’t write it all in capitals.”
I can still taste the rage, even now.
“That’s not wrong. My Daddy taught me. My Daddy’s not wrong” I shouted, and stomped back to my seat, between Rob and Susan at the back,
Already, before I was even five, I learned rebellion.
LM Collis 6.4.21
aw, the first day at school. I should've gone to the 'bigger' school (7-11's) but my mum took me to the little school (5-7's) instead. Then came in Ann, screaming her head off being dragged in by her two teenaged brothers...we became friend, although she was always a little odd! I can remember much later the teacher was on the phone, and told us to be quite...I was talking to Debbie...who was very pretty and needed the loo..she wet herself and made me promise not to tell. I got lines for talking... I must not talk in class, I could just about write my name then, copying it from a lable on my desk, I can remember crying that I coudn't spell, must...and that word, to this day, still gives me the heebiejeebies!
ReplyDeleteAw, such a negative way to teach, just the sort of thing that does stay with you. My first day memory is sitting next to a boy who picked a hole in his home made jumper and getting into a disproportionate amount of trouble. Empathy a bit lacking back in the day, huh!
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