Letter to a tyrannical teacher!

(this should sort of rhyme, if read in the right way... I hope)

 

Dear Miss Downing...

Once upon a time there was a 6 year old school-girl...
She was skinny & freckly & a little bit plain & awkward.

She hated school & had few friends. She was always much happier at home.
Sometimes she would be picked on by the other pupils for not being 'typical' or conforming to the 'norms'... Occasionally she would kick back (literally & metaphorically) so, mostly they left her ALONE!

She wasn't very brave, or beautiful... but she was VERY bright!... So much so that teachers tested & measured her & forced her to perform for them & when those scores came back as her having an IQ of the highest order... 
...they pigeon holed her as "a bit of an eccentric genius"... & then, much to the girls relief, they mostly ignored her.

But she just wouldn't get those thoughts of hers down on the paper... & they grew frustrated with her for not doing things in the way that they meant....
... & after many battles they just gave up on her & she shrank into the background & stared out of the window... & in her dream world she was occasionally left to be content!

But you, Miss Downing... YOU were not to be usurped!.... No young whipper-snapper EVER got the better of you... 
No child was ever left behind in your classroom.

You would make your mark on the hearts and minds of every poor unfortunate sent your way... 
Nobody was ever going to forget the impact YOU had on them, were they!?! 

You bullied & you shouted & you mocked every little thing you could get your vicious claws into... & you were NOT to be ignored!
And if any of those fragile wee things tried to be invisible in your presence you would call them out, pull them up, write their name on the board!

But for one set of 10 year old's it was to be doubly painful.
One year of your torture & wickedness & menacing ways would have been more than enough to bear... 
...but they were treated to a change of teacher a few months after they thought they'd escaped you... & once again you were there.
In your horrible brown cotton canvas dresses, with the sweaty armpit patches & the withering stare.


No-one could ever fathom why you chose to be a teacher...You really seemed to hate kids... & other human beings... & I'd hazard a guess at small furry animals too... 
No wonder you stayed a 'Miss'.
School was hellish enough & really quite tough, but oh so much more so day in & day out with you!


And on Parents Evening every child in your class would know that there was no hope of a pass... or an encouraging word or a kindly critique... No extra points for being nice, well behaved or unique.


So when you told the girl's mother "Your daughter's quite lazy... She's not really that bright & her logic's quite hazy"... It came as no surprise!
Then with bile from your tongue & spite in your eyes you tried to get in one final dig...

"If this girl doesn't apply herself... discipline & deny herself... she go nowhere in her life you know... I see her future quite clearly in fact.... 
She's going to end up sat on a fence, in Ireland, chewing a piece of grass."

And the girl's mother, a some time dreamer herself, said she thought at the time, but didn't dare say (coz you even effected grown adults that way)...
 
 "That wouldn't really be a bad life"...


& you both were correct!

Fancy that! :)

Confessions!

Once a Catholic Unconventional, Anarchistic, Home-Educating 'Hooligan'... always one...

"Bless Me Father for I have sinned... It is a very, very, very long time since my last confession... & these are my sins:


I have committed the sin of being a Non-Conformist & "Unconventional" in my lifestyle.


A few months ago I shamefully attended a meeting about how to obtain Organic Food, leaving my young children in the care of their 17yr old brother, when I should have been at home washing the clothes...


This led to scrutiny from 'authority' figures & caused me to commit a further sin of defying that 'authority' when it sought to persecute myself & my family for my wayward ways, particularly my disgraceful choice to educate my children outside of the state system or allow my parenting, educational provision, or moral scruples to be inspected & dictated by dubiously qualified 'experts'.


I thereafter committed the sin of acting in the best interests of myself & my children by removing them from a rapidly escalating, agenda driven situation... which I realise was VERY selfish of me when I should obviously have sacrificed us all.


I fled from my previous home & started a new life with the help of other anarchistic & freedom loving types, instead of staying put & bowing to the expectations & delusions of other friends & family... & I have also ignored their demands that I allow myself to be a scapegoat, so as to allow others to remain in denial & ignorance of the corrupt system that was working against us.
Sorry for rocking the boat.


I have not yet begun regularly ironing my children's clothing or acting like a 'conventional' person, as per my Mother's advice- which I suppose goes against the commandment 'Honour thy Father & Mother'.


I continue to be 'political', which only this week I have been warned by someone far superior to myself, is probably at the root of all my problems. I also DARED to request friendship from this far superior person under an irreverent sounding pseudonym & then refused to allow myself to be slandered & bullied by this person... whatever was I thinking?


I have, all in all been a bit of a hooligan of late!... My sins have been many & varied... but all with one similar aspect to them... my inability to lie down & take a shafting by those who think they know better than I how I should raise my children, use my mind, what I should eat, watch & read & generally how I should live.
I guess I never learn...


I know I should say an 'Act of Contrition' & beat myself up over all of my mis-demeanors... but that would only add the sin of Hypocrisy to the list... & I am *REALLY* NOT sorry for any of these things I have done... In fact, I'm quite proud of myself!


I will however continue, as I always have, to try to live my life without causing harm or loss to others... & I hope you will help them to reciprocate in kind!

Amen!