As originally seen on Bone’s blog. I’ve seen it a couple of other places, and yesterday he told me I’d better do it too.
Kindergarden: Mrs. Shepherd/Miss Shell: We had moved to Tulsa, OK for my step-dad’s last year of residency. On the first day of school, Mrs. Shepherd was my teacher. I don’t remember why, but we got a new teacher on the second day of school. It was very hard for me to say “Miss Shell” rather than “Michelle”. Miss Shell wanted to put me in the first grade reading classes since I could already read, while the other kids were just learning their letters. The principal said no and gave me the first grade reading materials. I finished all of first grade reading in half the year. All this while the other kids had free play. Nothing like making a kid feel different. I also remember my favorite color was brown for some reason.
First: Mrs. Miller: We moved back to Texas. It seemed everyone had already formed their cliques in kindergarden. I didn’t quite fit in. I met my arch nemesis. Kate B. I would loathe this girl until high school graduation. We would repeat a lot of papers because it seemed most of the kids in my school were idiots. I got so tired of doing the same papers over and over again. So, one day, Mrs. Miller passed out the papers, and before she got done passing them out, I was back at her desk. I informed her that I wasn’t doing the paper again because it was boring, and I handed her the paper. I had written my name on it and put a big “0” with a frowny face on the inside. I was willing to take a zero rather than do this stupid paper. Mrs. Miller thought this was hilarious and called my mom, not to gripe about me, but to share the funny story.
Second: Mrs. Teague was the oldest teacher in the school. She was a mean old lady too. She looked like a big, skinny hoot owl, blinking watery old eyes behind gigantic plastic lenses. She got irritated with me one day over something smart-alecky that I said, probably about another boring assignment, and popped me on the butt. This is the year I got glasses. This is also the year I and about half the girls in class got head lice from Ann H. We all wanted to wear her rabbit fur jacket.
Third: Mrs. Lloyd was absent all the time. We had more substitute teachers that year. She was allergic to chalk dust. Strange allergy for a teacher to have I think. So she used the chalk holders. I remember she had bright red lipstick. This was also the year I got in trouble. Click the link, read the story. It’s worth it. This was also the year I met my best friend Heather. She and I are still friends.
Fourth: I loved Mrs. Davis. She was one of the coolest teachers I ever had. There was a special reading nook in her class that was full of pillows and blankets. I loved to have my name drawn and get the chance to read in there! This was also the year I developed my first big crush. Byron S. He was repeating fourth grade. See? I was already picking winners. I also remember that in music class (Mrs. Bryan, I loved her), Byron was wearing sweat pants and, um, how to put this delicately, had an uncontrollable pre-pubescent display of arousal. I of course, was shocked by this and had no clue that happened.
Fifth: Mr. Strain. Please see link above in Third Grade. He was the most awesome teacher I ever had. He had a couple of nicknames for me. He was also one of those teachers that if he saw a learning opportunity come up, he would abandon the curriculum and go off on a tangent in order to make his point. He was a short, African-American man and had blue eyes and a mustache. I loved to listen to him talk. He also wrote with a ruler to keep his lines straight, and so all of his letters like s’s and c’s were straight across the bottom. He would come back and fill in descenders like g, j, p, q, and y.
Sixth: I started switching classes this year. Before the school year started, I decided I wanted a hair cut. I had always had long, straight, dark brown hair. But, instead of going for a cute bob or something, I cut it off short. Like boy short. Why I did this I have no idea. It was probably the worst thing I could have done for myself socially. I wore glasses still too. And my mom wouldn’t let me wear makeup (of course not! I was too young!). Yeah, I was an outcast. I also was in band, which made my life even worse. And I couldn’t play something cute like the flute, or cool like the trumpet. No, I played the trombone. How many girls you know play trombone? This was also the year I ‘became a woman’…in science class. I was mortified.
Seventh: Still nerdy. Still with short hair. Still an outcast. Still no social life. Boys made fun of me and stared at my chest. I also took shop because I like power tools and making things. I was the only girl in shop. This didn’t help with boys staring at me. At least I was in Honor Band and was First Chair. This guy Jose used to ‘challenge’ me for Chair position all the time. Sometimes I would let him win and I’d sit in second chair for two weeks before challenging him again and taking back my rightful place at the end of the trombone section. It was a little game I played with him. Bwah ha ha. At the end of the year I started to let my hair grow, and I got contacts.
Eigth: I started having more of a social life, finally. My mom started to let me wear a little makeup. I was still in band, and still First Chair unless I was toying with Jose. I played basketball too. I hated those little polyester shorts. Ugh! But it got me out of P.E. which was awful. I also had my first boyfriend this year! David. He was sweet, but was obsessed with Def Leppard. So, in all his ‘love notes’ to me, he would decorate them with ‘Def Leppard rocks’ and ‘I love Def Leppard’ and all that kind of crap. I talked to him a couple of years ago by chance and he still loves Def Leppard.
Ninth: Freshman year of High School. I got a perm before the school year started. I would wear my hair permed for the rest of high school. I joined the swim team. This was also to get out of P.E., and none of the other sports appealed to me because there was actual sweat involved. David had moved over the summer and I was devestated. Boys still stared at my chest, but I ignored them. None of the guys that went to my high school were worth it. I started running with a bit of a different crowd. Less ‘Stoner’ and more ‘Waver’. Oh gosh. I haven’t heard those terms in forever! I had my Z. Cavarrici pants, colorful vests, thick-soled black patent leather shoes. I was pretty cute. I also started taking Honors English that year.
Tenth: I got braces. Still didn’t date that much. The one guy that sticks out from this year is John. He was a senior. Had long, curly dark hair. I still talk to him. I like his wife, and they have a very cute little boy that’s just a little bit younger than Elle. Took a couple more Honors classes that year, English and History, plus added in a ‘Zero’ hour class. So, rather than going to school at 8:30 a.m., I was there by 7:15 every morning. This was completely voluntary. I’m such a nerd. My mom was glad when I got my driver’s license.
Eleveth: More Honors classes and still swimming. Still didn’t date that many guys, and even if I did, it was never more than a couple of times. The guys at my school bored me. They were idiots or jerks. This year I took Anatomy and Physiology and got to dissect a cat during the second semester. That was totally cool. I also was in Academic Decathlon. The ubernerd class. Studied constantly. I was also in National Honor Society. What a geek. No wonder I couldn’t get a date.
Twelfth: Not just Honors classes, but AP! Earning college credit! My English teacher was a total weirdo, but I loved her. Mrs. Munro. She smoked and had a long grey streak in her hair. She taught me how to ‘read’ stories, look for their meaning, and take away more than just the written word. I got my braces off the last week before the deadline to take Senior Pictures. This was also the year I met Mark. My first real love. I met him through friends of my family. I didn’t have a whole lot to do with my school other than classes. Once swimming was over, all my free time was spent either at work (concessions at the movie theater) or with Mark. I had my prom dress made rather than buying it off the rack. It was emerald green, to match Mark’s eyes. (Gag me.) His cummerbund and bow-tie matched my dress. We looked fantastic. Graduation was awesome too. Oprah was at my graduation. I graduated with Stedman’s daughter. Honest, Oprah sat right across the aisle from my mom. If I could go back and live any year over and over again, it would be this year. I made a lot of friends that year that I hadn’t really talked to before. I loved all my teachers, my classes were interesting, and life in general was good. I had a lot of fun that year, and really good memories.
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Interstellar Adventures 