Did I say jail??? Sorry, just to be clear, I’ve never spent a day of my life in a real jail. What I meant to say was Catholic School. Just got confused because at times, it certainly felt like jail.
Back in the day, when nuns and all teachers for that matter were allowed to actually discipline the kids, it could be real scary! Those nuns meant business…..when they said jump, all you needed to know was just how high to jump, that’s all.
Mom took me to school that day when I began first grade. Like any normal six year old, I was scared, crying and begging her not to leave me. Especially after I saw that nun standing there with a ruler in her hand, I was shaking in my boots......literally! I remember I had on red cowboy boots that first day! I was so cute....or so I thought!!
Now, I was accustomed to seeing nuns on account of going to the Catholic Church and I also had an aunt who was a nun, but I never had a ruler flashed at me until that day! Probably took one look at me and said “yeah, this one is gonna be trouble”.!
After being pried from my mother, I looked around and saw this other tiny little girl. She didn’t look very happy either. We kinda gravitated toward each other, found out each other’s names and became best friends for many, many years! In fact, my whole family and her’s became lifelong friends.
First day of first grade didn’t turn out so well for me and mom had to make another trip to school. She wasn’t too happy about that when she got the call, but when she found out what the issue was, she turned her anger on the nun! Ha! Lucky for me!
Seems there were bathroom rules involving not being able to go except at recess. Do you remember how small a six year old’s bladder is? Well, when I got the urge and asked to be excused, the nun kept telling me no, I had to wait. What to do, what to do, I was squirming.
I ended up filling my little red cowboy boots with what I needed to get rid of! Mom came unglued on that nun and I think the rules changed after that!
That little Catholic School had exactly two classrooms in it. One was called “the little room” grades one thru four and the other was “the big room” grades five thru eight. This building was kinda square shaped with the two classrooms on the right side of the building. On the left was a big room used for a music room, lunch room and just a general assembly type room. On the back side of the building were two bathrooms……one for the boys and one for the girls. A big wide hallway ran thru the middle of the building.
At recess and lunch time, we were marched outside where the girls were taught to play volleyball and/or hopscotch. The boys played baseball. There was one particular lesson that the nuns decided to teach the girls that will remain in my memory forever.
All the girls of the school were paraded outside onto the volleyball court and each given a book. “Now place the book on your head and start walking” commanded the nun! “We are going to learn to walk without swiveling our hips, so as not to tempt the boys”! Huh?? We all looked at each other puzzled. “But, Sister, what are we supposed to be NOT tempting them from”? Ha…..Sister was not about to answer that one! Countless hours were spent practicing this method of walking, but needless to say, that lesson didn’t stick……not with me anyway! A woman is just gonna naturally swivel!
Getting to school everyday was an adventure in itself. At first, we were not allowed to ride the Public School buses because we went to Catholic School. Our parents convinced the powers that be that we were entitled to ride because they paid the same taxes as the parents of the Public school kids.
Finally, we were allowed to ride to the Public School which was several blocks away from the Catholic School, then walk the rest of the way…..rain, sleet, snow or shine….didn’t matter! I really didn’t mind though, because I got to walk by this really cute boy, who was a school crossing guard at the time. Never did get him to notice me, I was way to young! Still, I thought he was the cutest thing since puppy dogs and kitty cats!
All things considered, I really wouldn’t trade those eight years spent in Catholic School. They were tough, but the education and discipline we got is invaluable even to this day!
Hope you enjoyed this little story!
Remember,
Keep on the Sunnyside!