When I was in early primary school I learnt classical ballet and tap dancing. There were concerts at the end of the year, and my mother would spend her time making my costumes. These concerts were true highlights of each year as everyone banded together to see the fruits of hard work and dedication. I loved to watch my parents’ faces light up like a Christmas Tree as they watched me after each dance.

When I was In Grade 1 at a local primary school, I remember the day that the teacher embarrassed me in front of the whole class. I had a problem with thumb-sucking going back to when I was in the womb, and this teacher decided that she was going to single me out. She told me that if I continued to suck my thumb,  she would bring a dummy to school  for me. I thought my whole world had caved in when I went home to mum that afternoon. She assured me that everything would be okay, and probably felt relieved that someone else had tried to stop my thumb-sucking for a change.  My teacher’s scare tactic worked, and my thumb very rarely ventured into my mouth again.

I left that school after Grade 4 and started Grade 5 at another school in the City.  During that year I endured a lot of mistreatment by one of the nuns. Her name was Sister Sylvester. We called her Sylvester the cat. She was supposed to be dying of cancer but a friend of mine had visited her in hospital many years later.

Anyway, I remember this one-day, like it was only yesterday. I was sitting in the back of the classroom, and Sylvester calls out “Is there anyone who can not do this long division sum?” Well, being the fool that I was, I slowly put my hand up. She then motioned for me to come out to the blackboard. As I slowly approached the blackboard I could feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. My hands started sweating and I was breathing heavily. Sylvester told me to do the long division sum on the blackboard. I said to her, “I don’t know how! She then proceeded  to push me into the blackboard as she kept whacking my back with the palm of her hand. Each time  I glanced around, I could see my friend trying to tell me the answer, which was to no avail. I felt my body being pounded over and over again into the blackboard. I felt so helpless and terrified.