I loved it! I never thought of my school days as oppressive. They were the best days of my life. I had no worries. I could focus on what I wanted and study with

I loved it! I never thought of my school days as oppressive. They were the best days of my life. I had no worries. I could focus on what I wanted and study without distractions. I had adults I could trust. My friends were all like me and there were few squabbles. If anything, it was a tad protective that it was a little bit jarring when I went to college. I never realised that this wasn’t the norm for many until after my school years. I think I missed out on other people skills and didn’t know how to read cues about people who were different than me. I owe everything that I like about myself to my school teachers. They gave me space to explore..the wiggle room was monitored tho’. They gave me structure and expected discipline. Is that tyrannical? I still talk to my old teachers and am in touch with many of my school friends. It’s been almost 30 years and my math teacher still calls me. Another of my favourite teacher just told me on WhatsApp the other day that I shouldn’t waste my idle time during covid. She has given me exercises for vocal music and I have to sing for her every weekend. I will never be old. I am in California now and a healthy number of my classmates are in the Bay Area. We meet often. I am not under any illusion that my life was perfect, but I only remember the good parts. It was certainly not unpleasant. College was different. I went to a Jesuit institution run by Irish Catholic nuns that unfortunately happened to be the same one my mother went to...and the same nuns were still around and kept calling my mother who ended up being in a bad mood after one or the other would complain about me. Otoh, it amused me to see my mother so rattled because they were able to get that adult in my life so uncomfortable and squirmy with just one unblinking glance. I still laugh out loud when I think about it. My mother..on the other hand..remains unamused.