Blurb

The shoes didn't fit. It was an omen.













Monday, August 13, 2012

Unforgettable Blogfest

 

unforgettable

Click this to visit Siv

Today, Siv from Been There, Done That is holding this special blogfest in celebration. Click the above link to find out what she’s celebrating.

For the Unforgettable Blogfest we are supposed to write about a strange and unusual place or person that we’ve visited. One that left a lasting impression and we’ll never forget 

Oh that won’t be hard. Mine have to do with school. But there are several impressionable moments.

1. Miss Bailey was my kindergarten teacher. She realized that I had some learning issues. One of the things all kindergarteners had to master was writing their name. Mastering it was rather difficult for me so one day for the entire afternoon, Ms. Baily had me say my name, sound out each letter while I drew them out across the chalk board over and over.

2. I went to slow class in second grade. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to read like the other kids. So they sent me to a class with the mentally challenged and one girl with cerebral palsy.

My first day had me wondering why. When I got home that day, I went straight to the bathroom to stare at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t figure out why I was in the class with those kids. I didn’t look or talk  like any of them.

Yes, I’m dyslexic. I confused letters with numbers and vise versa. Letters also danced around, ‘saw’ could be ‘was’. I also had an issue with hearing ‘b’ as ‘d’ and ‘e’ as ‘a’, so forth and so on.

I also had a strange talent for writing words and sentences backwards. To this day when I’m tired or stressed, I will do just that. Write backwards.

3. In the eighth grade, I had the scariest teacher ever but handsome. My class and I watched him slap  wooden tables in two on several occasions.

One day, he threw a whole apple across the room. It splatted across the quietest kid’s forehead. He also took the tallest and muscular eighth grader outside and made him fist fight him. Scary right?

4. I hated high school. I was one of the kids who was bullied. When I walked through the halls, I was saluted with the kids pushing back their noses, snorting at me. They’d chant Miss Piggy. They did other things to me,too, but we won’t go there. But I remember their names and faces.

5. When I was in college, I had the best algebra professor. Professor Papi. He was from India and absolutely hilarious.

When the class talked over him, he would clap his hands and jump around in front of the chalk board and say, “Listen to the board. Let it talk to you. In my class, there is no talking or singing. Only the board is allowed to talk.” I can still hear his thick accent in my head.

Also, toward the end of my final exam, which by the way was like 5 hours long, he came by to take it. I had ten problems left and I was already in tears for fear of failing.

Professor Papi said, “You’re the only one who stuck it out and almost finished. No one else did. You did a good job. Don’t worry.”

I made an ‘A’ in that class and I’ll forever remember Professor Papi.

6. Last but not least, I had the biggest crush on my law professor. Professor Blau. He was sixty back then but he had a beautiful way with words. Everything that came out of his mouth made me melt.

I remember one day going up the escalator, somewhere behind me, he said, “In a another life, Miss So&So. In another life it will be you and me.” The guy gave me goose bumps but I made sure I was never alone with him.

This wraps up my unforgettable places and people.

Secondhand Shoes is still being proofread.

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

31 comments:

  1. Wow, you had some tough teachers. Back in the day when physical punishment was allowed.

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    1. I went to private schools, too. They're always harder and expected you to conform to everything. But I also havd patient and understanding teachers as well.

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  2. I love that all your unforettable moments had to do with schooling. I did some time as a temp teacher...You know the substitute...lol, I made a student cry once, but he deserved it, Class Bully and all :)

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    1. We actually spend more time with our teachers in life I believe than our parents. I loved school even though I struggled. I love listening to strories, history, and geography. Some of my teachers, I loved and other ones not so much. and bullies suck.

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  3. You have a haunting header, Shelly. I hate that you had such grim experiences in school. I had my share. I, too, had a physically abusing teacher. And a Korean Trig. teacher who would stand behind as I took his test, laughing at the long way I took to solve his problems!

    Bullies! They are cruel and vicious. They steal what cannot be easily replaced: self-respect, peace of mind, and joy of life.

    You may sometimes write backwards, but there are times I live life backwards. Sadly there are no erasers for yesterday!! :-)

    Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. I wish you great fortune with SECOND HAND SHOES! May only happy surprises await you, Roland

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    1. I'm looking forward to visiting your blog again. And my MC, Lila, is haunted but its no the ghosts that give her the problems. It's the live peeps that do.

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  4. Your professor from India sounds like he was quite amusing. And a very fair man.

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    1. Alex:

      He was the best professor ever. I'll always remember him. And Professor Blau. He was hot for a bald, old guy.

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  5. Love your algebra teacher! How does one write backwards, is it writing the letters backwards or just starting from the right to write a sentence. I used to write letters backwards from right to left. Hard!

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    1. Professor Papi rocked. He was awesome and very concientuous b/c he had an accent.

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  6. You got an A in Algebra? Wow, that explains why you are really one of the most amazing woman in the world.

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    1. Yes. I made an A. I was in absolute shock but I also paid for a tutor all the way through that class. I thought my brain was going to melt from all the sizzling it did.

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  7. That is so cool you can write backwards! I had no trouble learning to read but 7th grade was hell for me thanks to being relentlessly bullied. Sometimes I wonder what I might be like if I hadn't been.

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    1. Actually, I start from left to write. I can't tell you how many checks I've to rip up and throw away.

      Being bullied has caused me to be sensitive to others' feelings for sure.

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  8. Great post, Shelly.

    I had some good teachers... and some rotten ones. I remember one who could have taught cruelty lessons to the Nazis... and probably did.

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    1. Thank you, Sir Wills. Oh my...Mazi cruelty? YIKES! Maybe we had the same teacher.

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  9. I had some teachers that hated me because I was the daughter of a teacher...Most of my teachers were great, except for a few public school teachers. Teachers don't realize that they are shaping us...and when they treat us cruely, we remember it.

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    1. You're absolutely right. Teachers do help to shape thier students.

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  10. I was picked on in school as well. Great post, I'm glad to get to know you a little better.

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    1. Oh thank you, Summer. Being bullied is no fun but I survived it.

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  11. Hi Shelly - coming to you from Siv Marie's blog hop. I think, I hope, I pray that children nowadays don't go through what you had to. I think, reading your post, that it's made you into a strong person - and a kind one. Well done, you, on sharing it. XX

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  12. Wow, your eighth grade teacher sounds like a bully. That's not cool, not cool at all.

    Schools, and the people within them, play such a huge role in shaping who we are and our futures -- it's scary really. I say that as the mother of a teenager. Sometimes, I worry.

    ~ Rhonda Parrish

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    1. Today, I don't believe a teacher could get away with what he did. He was horrifying to say the least.

      Apologies for taking so long to answer you back.

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  13. I loved your stories. It is always so interesting to learn about the things people learn as they have all the wonderful and dreadful experiences that teach so much.

    Yvonne

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    1. It taught me to kind and sensitive to others.

      Sorry for the late response.

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  14. Great post Shelly!
    An A in algebra - wow! That's awesome!
    I was extremely timid and shy in school. Being a bookworm, my homework was always completed - on time, everytime; and come Monday morning, the lazy ones would "ask" for my work and copy answers (of course I was very generous and didn't want to be regarded as selfish - so I "shared" my work LOL)

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    1. Thank you, Michelle. I was a bookworm, too. Sometimes I shared my answers.

      Sorry for the late response.

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  15. These were all great stories! Sorry that you got picked on when you were in school. I love the relationship you had with your law professor! Julie

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    1. My law professor was awesome. Dreamy, really. But old and bald.

      Sorry for the late response.

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  16. Great posting and loved your list. My daughter is dyslexic so can imagine what you went through in school. She was placed in the L.D. classes, they said because they didn't have the resources in the mainstream to give her the help she needed. :/ Enjoyed reading your posting!

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    1. That's upsetting to hear. I really had some great teachers in my beginning years or I would have been totally lost if not.

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