Second School

Half-way through my first grade, we moved to Etobicoke and I began my long and checkered career at Our Lady of Sorrows.  Sr Rosella was now my teacher - she and my younger sister are still friends.  I was unable to read when I started as were most of the other children in the class.  We had cardboard alphabet letters which we kept in cigarette tins supplied by our parents.  Mine was a Black Cat tin - the current brand my mother smoked.  I dropped the tin on the floor one day and it made such a racket that I thought I might have to leave again! 

Miraculously one day all the letters made sense and I was ABLE TO READ.  I became a different person - a full person - and from that moment on, I spent most of my time with smuggled books on my lap reading instead of paying attention in class.  As a result, I was branded as a trouble maker - bold and impudent one teacher called me.  I got the strap in every grade for real or presumed misdemeanours.  I actually did not mind as I was usually up there with one or more of the 'bad boys' getting the strap along with them.  Only problem was, trouble at school meant trouble at home - double punishment.  If my parents found out I had been strapped at school, I got it at home too!  It was a full time job intimidating the younger kids not to rat me out.

My sixth grade teacher was Miss Bissette.  She looked like Olive Oyl.  She was cross and strict all the time.  Then half way through the year, she GOT MARRIED and changed completely.  She was all giggly and laughy - none of us could understand why.  I do understand now.  Previously she had lived with the formidable grade 8 teacher, Miss Cassin.  For some reason I thought they were sisters.  After Miss Bissette became Mrs. Bolger, she did not live with Miss Cassin anymore and Miss Cassin became even meaner and more formidable.  I dreaded the prospect of grade 8 as her's was the only class.

I had a crush on Kevin Karner in grade 6.  He injured his eye playing hockey and I cried when I saw his poor eye - I was so worried he would go blind.  Whatever happened to you Kevin?  Are you a big CEO somewhere?  How is your eye?