It's All Because I Didn't Bring My Periodic Table

Have you already received punishments from your teachers? In elementary school, I remember our adviser throwing a piece of chalk in my head as I prefer to listen to my seatmate rather than her discussion. I barely remember all those inappropriate things I've done, but some of my memories since high school are still intact. And one of them is from my one teacher who low-key humiliates and compliments me backhandedly. Most of the embarrassing things I've had in my high school years are from her, and you know this thing you want to bury her in your memories.

Who is she, and what are her contributions to my life as a high school student?

Maybe you're already curious about who she is. Her name is Ma'am Kathleen, and she was our teacher in Science when I was in Grade 8. It's unavoidable that she is that strict, but it doesn't mean she's unapproachable, as you thought. She has that pleasing personality and sweet aura if you take a look at her at first glance. However, she would create a strict image when faced in front of the class because of her reasonable policies. Anyway, just a disclaimer, I didn't mean she is a bad teacher. Maybe she was strict about her teaching style (which I don't like), and she's always considerate if you don't comply with the deadline.

I started to dislike her when I didn't answer her questions in her first assignment. We were answering our first summative in the first quarter, and she used that time to check our assignments. The problem is that I forgot to answer the questions part from the assignment and called my name to stand up in the back until we didn't fill it. We were still allowed to answer it, but the only charge I received was an embarrassment. It was not humiliating like an extensive trauma since it was my fault.

Not only that, since it was only one of the things that I experienced a humiliating approach with her. They were unintentional, as you think, but if you are a teacher, you should already know how those interactions will work. I can't believe how I entered the class the next day without getting ashamed because of her random questions and answered her with unforeseen answers. I don't want to open up about it since it was still humiliating, and I feel like it would open the scars. Sorry for those nonsense thoughts, as I only remembered it randomly.

In senior high, the academic year was split into two semesters, which were divided into two parts. And now, I'm already in college, and we also have two semesters. But this time, it was divided into three sections which are prelims, midterms, and finals. And during my high school years, we have four quarters. In our Science subject, there were four specific branches of Science that we needed to learn. Those four branches of Science we were learning, if I were not mistaken, are Biology, Planetary Science, Physics, and Chemistry.

What is that unforgettable punishment?

Speaking of chemistry, the punishment I will never forget is our class about chemistry. Since our curriculum underlies chemistry, the stocks of Periodic Table at that time were running out of stock. I've already asked many stores near our hometown, and they all stated that they were sold out. Therefore, I don't have a choice but to do an alternative by looking at the periodic table that the book provided. I recall a time when my teacher caught me and two classmates without a periodic table. I was the one who noticed first and quickly instructed us to leave the room in a historical tone. Despite my teacher's stern tone, I remained composed and unemotional.

Of course, we went outside together, sadly with my other classmates, since we had no choice. After three minutes, our teacher cast an angry glance at us and demanded to know if we would not think of another way for us to have the periodic table. It was a tense moment, and she even hinted that we might be setting ourselves up for failure. Good thing we got the periodic table from the other section and passed the exam.

After that memorable incident, I immediately inspected my room and stumbled upon the periodic table I had utilized before my eighth-grade year. Luckily, Science was not in my curriculum as a college student, and we won't be requiring therefore that goddamn periodic table again. I only experienced two punishments my whole academic life, so I can't elaborate much. I don't want to add another, though. Her teaching style was improved in my ninth grade, and I already found the section in which I fit. It was still a good ending for me and us!