2nd Grade & Why I’m Not Catholic

 


The piece below recounts the actual events of a day at St. James Elementary School in Arlington Heights, IL. 1966, or so.


ย I flunked a phonics test and

Sister Eleanor is scowling like Satan:

goose-stepping back and forth, spitting

“God Hates You Brats.” She doesn’t know that God

likes kids, even brats and kids who flunk

phonics tests. The big kids call her a Nazi;

another word for booger–like snot–and the

funniest word in the world.

Booger Eleanor! I giggle and

she lurches at me like a rabid penguin. Now,

I’m laughing so hard I can’t breathe and her claws

snarl the back of my neck while my lunch

hot-scratches my throat. Someone drops

a pencil and my face jack-hammers the desk where

my dog’s initials are because I love her and

long division is hard. Red plops from my

nose and the lisping boy with lazy-eye starts

crying because his last trip to the drinking fountain

is tinkling from his chair and onto his shoe.

Booger Eleanor is howling

and her face is sweat-gray. The lisping boy’s

belt is in her hand now, but Booger Nazi doesn’t get

to kill him because our normal teacher from

last year who isn’t a nun and doesn’t hate us,

or God,

strolls in with the Principal.

 

Susan Marie Shuman/ SusanWritesPrecise
St. James Catholic Church & Elementary School

 

Comments

13 responses to “2nd Grade & Why I’m Not Catholic”

  1. Caleb Cheruiyot Avatar

    Wonderful โ™ฅ๏ธ

    Liked by 1 person

  2. newepicauthor Avatar

    This is a horrifying experience, and I am sorry that you had to suffer through this.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Thank you, Jim. I have a hard time letting go of it. So does the rest of my class. One guy who was in my class found my blog and that poem a couple years ago & remembered the day very well. Kinda shook me up for some reason. Made it more real, I guess.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Yeah. That woman was a horror.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Peter's pondering Avatar

    I hope she got her just deserts!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Nope! When I got home, I told my mom. She did me the favor of not telling my dad. That was the day I stopped trusting either one of them. Although my mom & I were very close, like besties. Confusing as hell.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Violet Lentz Avatar

    How traumatic! I cannot believe they used to let them get away with this stuff. But then again, look what we are letting the current administration get away with. The term Nazi comes to mind again.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Yep! It certainly does. This is a scary world.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Hetty Eliot Avatar

    Wow, a mean mun story from sixty years ago. I never heard one of those before.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The Abject Muse Avatar

      Glad I was able to enlighten you. ;-)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Hetty Eliot Avatar

        Finally someone on WordPress who can handle a two-bit troll. And without pointing out my typo. ๐Ÿ‘

        Like

  6. The Abject Muse Avatar

    Pointing out typos is rude, so I try not to do that.

    Are you really a troll? You’re my first one. Nice to meet you!

    Like

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