I was afraid to sharpen a pencil in second grade.
My most vivid elementary school memories spring from instances when I was being reprimanded by an adult for doing something wrong. I did everything in my power to avoid those dreadful moments, but they still presented themselves on occasion. Even now I feel a pit in my stomach when I recall the way I felt during those times, regardless of the fact that almost all of them would easily roll off my back if they occurred today. My fears inhibited my ability to do the most simple things. From kindergarten through 3rd grade, I lived under the belief that I wasn't allowed to yawn because I was scolded for making a noise while doing so during carpet-time. In second grade, I constantly had …show more content…
I absolutely dreaded hearing the words "that makes me very sad," spoken in a sing-songy voice by my teacher when an infliction was committed by a student. When she took a sticker on my sticker chart away when I accidentally put my classwork in my folder instead of in the hand-in box, she might as well have told me that my dog had died, because that's how it felt. I cried for three hours straight. This pattern continued until 3rd grade, when I took a risk for the first time in my life. At the end of a gym class, my classmate named Justin was about to face the worst possible punishment: he would lose his entire sticker chart and have no free time for a week. This was because our PE teacher was going to report him to Mrs. Hadyk. The problem in my mind was that I hadn’t seen him do a single thing wrong during that class. Now, he and I had barely shared a single social exchange outside required partner work, and he was known to misbehave on a regular basis, but this time I just felt awful for him because he hadn’t done anything to deserve these consequences. It was milling in my mind until we got back to our classroom, and when everyone was back in the classroom, I asked Mrs. Hadyk if I could talk to her in the hallway alone. She
My most vivid elementary school memories spring from instances when I was being reprimanded by an adult for doing something wrong. I did everything in my power to avoid those dreadful moments, but they still presented themselves on occasion. Even now I feel a pit in my stomach when I recall the way I felt during those times, regardless of the fact that almost all of them would easily roll off my back if they occurred today. My fears inhibited my ability to do the most simple things. From kindergarten through 3rd grade, I lived under the belief that I wasn't allowed to yawn because I was scolded for making a noise while doing so during carpet-time. In second grade, I constantly had …show more content…
I absolutely dreaded hearing the words "that makes me very sad," spoken in a sing-songy voice by my teacher when an infliction was committed by a student. When she took a sticker on my sticker chart away when I accidentally put my classwork in my folder instead of in the hand-in box, she might as well have told me that my dog had died, because that's how it felt. I cried for three hours straight. This pattern continued until 3rd grade, when I took a risk for the first time in my life. At the end of a gym class, my classmate named Justin was about to face the worst possible punishment: he would lose his entire sticker chart and have no free time for a week. This was because our PE teacher was going to report him to Mrs. Hadyk. The problem in my mind was that I hadn’t seen him do a single thing wrong during that class. Now, he and I had barely shared a single social exchange outside required partner work, and he was known to misbehave on a regular basis, but this time I just felt awful for him because he hadn’t done anything to deserve these consequences. It was milling in my mind until we got back to our classroom, and when everyone was back in the classroom, I asked Mrs. Hadyk if I could talk to her in the hallway alone. She