School is so Difficult for Me
The rest of first grade went much the same as the first day.
I hated school.
Because I was expected to interact with kids, and adults, it was extremely stressful for me. It seemed like whenever I said anything, or whenever anyone asked me a question, all the kids would laugh at me. I withdrew deeper and deeper within myself.
The other kids seemed like they understood everything the teacher was showing us, while I was struggling with almost everything. Most of them knew the letters of the alphabet, and the order in which they were recited. All I could see was strange configurations of short lines, where some were curved and some were straight.
All of them could count to 10 and could pick out each number. I could do none of that. I wanted to go home. I wanted to be with tony.
There is, however, one thing I liked about 1st grade. Lunch.
The other kids usually left me alone at lunchtime.
I was happy for that, because lunch time was the only enjoyable time of the day. The lunch ladies would let me eat as much as I wanted to, and I could also drink as much milk as I wanted, as long as I left the glass empty when I was finished. I usually ate quite quickly to make sure I had eaten my fill before we had to leave the lunchroom.
WOW! Chocolate Milk
I knew that milk came out when I raised the right handle, but I was puzzled as to what the brown liquid was that came out of the left tube.
I didn't dare ask any of the kids because I didn't want them to laugh at me.
After about 6 weeks had passed, I got up enough nerve to ask the lunch lady what the brown stuff was, coming out of the milk dispenser. She very kindly told me it was chocolate milk. I had never heard of chocolate milk before, but I knew I liked chocolate cake. So, the next day, during lunch, I filled my glass with chocolate milk.
It was good.
From that day forward, I drank only chocolate milk during lunch.
It was during the first grade when I also discovered that I thought differently from the other kids. They thought with words and numbers, I thought with pictures.
After a few months went by and the other kids were starting to read, I wondered why I couldn't read. So one day when the final bell rang, and all the other kids left the room, I asked the teacher when I would see the pictures. She asked me what pictures I meant? I explained to her that I only saw a bunch of short curvy lines and straight lines but I was waiting to see the pictures of the words, instead of the straight and curvy lines. She laughed in amusement, and said I would only see the straight and curvy lines because they were what represented the letters and numbers
I was hurt because I thought she was laughing at me, and not laughing at what I had said.
I was glad I could go home right away. I needed to see Tony, and to hug him. Tony was my friend. My one, and only, friend.
To be continued
My first post
My second post
My Life Begins - I Almost Killed My Mother!! #1
My Life - Neighbor & Tomato Plants #2
My Life - A Boy and a BB Gun #3
My - Life a Boy and a BB Gun (continued) #4
My Life - The Devastation of First Grade #5