Among Friends

[Trinity11]

I had a nun who disliked me. We had a spelling bee and I won. Instead of congratulating me, she turned to the teacher's pet and consoled her for being the runner up. I was supposed to get a prize but she never gave it to me. 

When I told a teacher in high school I wanted to be a doctor, she laughed at me and told me I would never be anything but a model or a housewife. That was in the late 60's. Thankfully, we've come a long way since then....

[rms1954]

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

What a negative topic. Stirring this kind of thing up doesn't do anyone any good. 

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And your response is negative.  What did you accomplish by it?

[spumoni99]

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@hckynutjohn wrote:

(thread title)

@Gorgf 

Sophomore English Class in front of the whole class. I stood up to answer a question, which I got right. Her comment to me, and the whole class:

"You would be nice looking if you weren't so fat"! 

That was 68 years ago and I will never forget what she said, or her name.

hckynut  🇺🇸

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That breaks my heart for teenage hckynut!  I am so sorry that was said to you!  What the hell is wrong with people?

[shoptilyadropagain]

It wasn't really negative and I was probably just a little sensitive but it ticked me off at the time.

We were asked to draw a tree.  I drew one with the top being round.  She gave it back to me and told me don't draw a tree with the top half round because trees have different shapes.  I looked out our classroom window and there was a huge tree in the lot with a rounded top.  I could see off in the distance some of the neighborhood trees and they all looked like they had a rounded top half.  So, I drew another rounded one and handed it in.  I can't remember what she said then.  I was just frustrated because I wasn't an artist to begin with, nor did I particularly care about trees at the time and all the trees I looked at were round.  Now, why in the world do I remember that after all these years?  LOL!

[nevergivesup]

I think these discussions can raise awareness of the power of careless, cruel words on impressionable young people. There is no indication from the posts I have read that posters are dwelling obsessively on these experiences. On the contrary, I salute everyone who overcame these negative messages and moved forward to build a better life for themselves.

[ECBG]

Thank goodness these descriptions are those that were in the profession in the 1940's to about 1970 maybe(?).

I remember the "harshness".

Those comments would never be allowed today. We know 

so much about children today.

Today, it seems teachers look at the whole child.  What did they have for breakfast?  Did the child even eat?  Is the family functual?

[nevergivesup]

When I was in fifth grade the nun asked the class whose parents owned their own homes. Everyone raised their hand but another little girl and me. She smirked at us and said, “ Well, I guess we know whose parents have a work ethic don’t we?”

My deceased father is and always will be my hero. He came from grinding poverty, endured the death of his parents and beloved older brother, quit school in the tenth grade to help his younger siblings survive, served in the military, was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star and returned to civilian life where he worked every job available to him, never had a vacation or complained. He loved his family, was a fierce protector of us and displayed all the virtues of an honorable person. My mother’s story was equally hard and admirable.

I still get choked up even now at the age of 73 when I think of that nun’s cruel words. I never told my parents because I didn’t want to hurt them or have them feel ashamed.

[Icegoddess]

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@rms1954 wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

What a negative topic. Stirring this kind of thing up doesn't do anyone any good. 

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And your response is negative.  What did you accomplish by it?

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Well, to tell you the truth, just seeing the title dredged up painful memories I would prefer not to think about.  So, in that sense @ThinkingOutLoud is correct.

[Venezia]

@nevergivesup - Your story reminded me of something that was said to me just before I entered college (the first in my family to do so).

I was attending the Upward Bound program that summer and we had a discussion group of some sort.  I was talking with one of the counselors about my life and background.  I said that my father had always been a factory worker.  Always worked hard, never complained - it seems just like yours.

He said to me "Are you happy?"  I said yes, that I loved my parents very much, despite what we "didn't have".  He said "Then your father is a success."

That's always stayed with me.  You have every reason to be proud of yours and shame on that nun.  No spirit of Christianity there!

ETA:  I got my strong sense of ethics from both of my parents.  Honorable people indeed.

[proudlyfromNJ]

There are many negative threads on these forums. I usually just pass them by if the title upsets me. Also some posters only post political posts which are not allowed, but that doesn't stop them.