There's an old children's book where a bunch of woodland creatures magically manage to shove into a little mitten together to keep warm. Well one day in first grade Mrs. Raucci decided to add this charming story to the curriculum. That Mrs. Raucci had big plans of not only reading the story in class, but acting it out really bringing this story to life. She put together a couple tables creating a fort and said this would be the mitten all the animals jam into. Ok.. Now there were only 6 or 7 animals in the book, but that creative genius Mrs. Raucci added a few extra animals to the live action version of the story so more students could participate. I thought this was the coolest shit on the planet and desperately wanted to participate. Pretending to be an animal and playing in forts was like #1 and #2 favorite things to do in childhood.
Anyway, it was time to assign parts, and Mrs. Raucci did this by picking from a bunch of raised hands one by one, animal by animal. I didn't really give a fuck which animal I was so I raised my hand for all of them. I understand I was probably an annoying hand raiser; one who waves it side to side, or who holds it up with my left arm to emphasize how tired my right arm is so in an altruistic attempt to relieve me from my misery they will call on me. However, Bitch Raucci didn't call on me for the first animal part...or the second...or the fifteenth. Me and about 3 other kids were left out to watch the others have a blast being animals and playing in a fake mitten. I had a moment where I couldn't believe the unfairness of the situation. How could so few kids be left out. Then I burst into tears and ran out of the room. Then the teacher's aid had to escort me to the school psychologist because Bitch Raucci couldn't manage to do her own dirty work. She also did not feel the need to appease me and add me to the stupid play because I guess she only knew of 15 types of animals or maybe she really hated me (she would often express disgust in the way I held my pencil.). In my 6 year old brain I assumed it was the latter. I also figured I was crazy because to me the school psychologist was the equivalent to a looney bin..only with My Little Pony toys. I couldn't even tell you when I stopped thinking I was a crazy/disturbed kid. It was probably when someone crazier came along for the teachers and other students to demonize.
Basically what I'm saying is that if I ever have kids they are never setting foot into a public school. If someone asks why I'll just repeat this story to them. I think I can easily come up with over a hundred.
You know what's bullshit about that is that they always used to tell you," Don't bring something good in unless you bring enough for everyone." Doesn't this fit into that category of not having enough for everyone? How hard would it have been to just add another desk to fit the last few kids in? My 2nd grade teacher was a bitch..I remember that much, but my other early teachers weren't bad...even still I agree on the public school issues.
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