memory

I just started reading Donald Miller's new book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: what I learned from editing my life." He starts the book talking about how his friend Bob writes down everything he remembers as he remembers it. I thought to myself, "that's kind of inspiring. Perhaps that's what I should do with my blog for a while, considering it has been so uninspired lately." And strangely enough, last night I shared one of my elementary school disciplinary memories with my India team because we were talking about disciplining children and how you should and shouldn't do it.

So here's my memory. Clearly this is not how to discipline me 'cause it didn't work for the long haul anyway.

Grade three. Mrs. Healey's class. I thought I was all that 'cause I was in the advanced math AND the advanced reading and writing groups. I think there were only 5 or 6 of us in these groups. I also knew that Mrs. Healey really liked me for some reason. Probably because I was generally in a good mood and had blonde hair and blue eyes. So, picture this, I was talking to the girl behind me. Full on, turned around in my desk talking about how Ken and Barbie had been doing very naughty things in the Barbie motor home the night before or something just as important. I was chatting and chatting and chatting. Suddenly I realized that NO ONE ELSE was talking....at all. I look up at the front and there was my beloved Mrs. Healey standing, arms crossed, clearly annoyed at my social behaviour. I was devastated and embarrassed. I can still feel the lump in my chest when I think about that moment. I can still picture the posters at the front of the room. It was awful but it didn't really do anything to change my behaviour 'cause I'm still pretty sure that every report card, in every grade following, the number one comment was "Laura talks too much in class." Still graduated with a 3.9 though. I guess if I'd shut up a little more I would've achieved the elusive 4.0. Maybe if Mrs. Healey had used a different tactic.