... Age four (starting school) in tell me a story about when you were...

I don’t think that actually starting school was as traumatic as my visit since I don’t actually remember my first day!

The classroom was still very much the same except it had people I knew rather than my brother’s peers. This made me feel safer, in a way. However, I was never very popular nor did I really know how to make friends. I had oodles of confidence at home but less when in the big, wide world. People all made their friends and children can be vile to one another before they learn empathy. Actually, thinking about it, I was able to communicate with adults better than children!

Anyway, every morning we had choosing time when the most popular things were the Wendy house (still near the window) and the sand and water trays which were in the corridor, next to the Windows which looked into the quadrangle - an area of garden which was out of bounds for children. The floor was blue and white, random mosaic. I didn’t get to go in the Wendy house, not that I remember, but I did manage to use the sand and water - although the two weren’t to be mixed, much to my disgust!
Most of the time my choosing time was spent with coloured, wooden shapes which contained magnets and, boy, did I become expert at magnets!

Growing up was never high on my priority list (it still isn’t, to be fair) so when Mrs Perry announced that we were going to learn how to read I walked up to her, in the book corner, with utter determination and seriousness. “Mrs Perry,” I said “I’m not going to learn to read until in six!” She smiled and said “okay then.” At home time she told my mum and they had a jolly good laugh.
The next thing I knew was that I could read, without even meaning to! Before I even turned 5 I was reading all sorts of story books…

Of course, it’s perfectly normal for little kiddies, unused to school routines, to need the toilet and I did. I was desperate, utterly bursting! There were lots of children standing in a line at the teacher’s desk, asking for help with their work, so I joined the line in order to ask Mrs Perry of I could go to the toilet. She got a bit cross with the amount of people unable to do their work and told everyone to sit down so she could go through it all again. When Mrs Perry shouted she was quite scary so I sat down again, absolutely, desperately, burstingly, urgently needing a wee. Well, a few seconds later I no longer needed one… And Mrs Perry’s anger was turned on me! “Why didn’t you ask to go to the toilet?!” She yelled as the puddle beneath my chair grew. I took a deep breath to tell her “I was waiting to tell you but you said we all had to sit down.” She blustered a little and said that I should have just gone but heck, I was a 4 year old who had been told to sit down by my teacher!! My face burned up as she made me clean it up. I do remember someone on my table helping me, but I don’t remember who or why but they were very nice about it!

Last updated November 09, 2015