Fifth grade sucked. The kids were mean, the teachers were mean, my mom was sick, our house was under construction-it basically blew.
School was the roughest I think. Fifth grade was one of the worst years. It was terrible.It was one (of the many) years where kids just didn’t know how to be friggin’ nice to each other and they made peoples’ lives hell.
Anywho…I was in a Catholic school and we had to wear those cute little plaid jumpers with a collared shirt underneath them. And every year there were 2 days for picture day. One day was a uniform picture day & the other was a casual clothes picture day. Wearing casual clothes was a HUGE deal-a novelty to us kiddos who had to wear navy & yellow every day. And only the LOSERS came to school in their uniform on that day-the BIG LOSERS!
One morning I got ready like I normally did, went through my normal getting ready for school routine & I came to the breakfast table in my jumper. My mom told me it was casual picture day and I needed to change. I assured her it was not. She assured me that it was. The stubborn child that I was told her she was mistaken.
We loaded up (all 5 of us kiddos) so my mom could take the older 3 of us to school and we pulled up to the school drive and there they all were, two hundred and sixty-five kids, ALL dressed in casual clothes, all of them but me. I literally started to physically ache and the realization hit that there was nothing that could be done. I was choking back tears. My mom to this day says that the thought of the look on my face still hurts her insides.
I got to my classroom. Sat down as the DORK in her uniform. The teacher (who hated me by the way) called for all the kids who were in their casual clothes to go to the gym to have their pictures made. She sneered at me in the snotty way that she always sneered at me, turned her nose up, & walked out of the room. I still can’t stand the thought of that you know what.
I sat in the classroom, all alone, and I swore to myself, “I will ALWAYS listen to my mother & father when they tell me something. I will ALWAYS listen to them.” I know this doesn’t seem like a big deal now. But boy oh boy, it felt huge then. You know, the way things feel huge to your little kid mind & they stick with you forever?
Now, have I listened to them every.single.time something came up since then? No. There were plenty of times when I should have kept my mouth shut & I didn’t. But I have, thousands of times, applied the “listen to mama & daddy, you don’t want to be caught in your uniform” rule quite often. And the times that I haven’t, I usually regretted it, BIG TIME!
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| Me in 5th Grade |
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| The Ugly Duckling all grown up with my sis Whitley |
That is tragic to 5th grade proportions. You poor thing.
However, I MUST say, you were so NOT an ugly duckling. I promise. I think you were perfectly cute in that picture.
I can imagine the mortification. It must have been awful. And your teacher sounds like a real bitch. In 8th grade, my Catholic School math teacher apparently didn't like me. I was too dense not to realize that. A few years later, one of my friend's clued me in. Apparently, he didn't like that I would notice things and get things correct that he missed. I was a bit of a know-it-all.
Anywho – You look very cute in 5th grade (and all grown up).
I didn't learn THAT hard lesson until well into adulthood!!
Found you through Diaries of a Supermom Diva. Great work on her design!!
ohhhhhh my heart ached for you at that moment. i was hoping you were gonna say your mom pulled out a stash of casual clothes she brought with her just in case. big hug! 5th grade did suck. i fell on the playground days b4 group pictures…i had the hugest scab under my nose and in the pictures it looks like a massive booger! hated school
Don't you HATE it when they are right? It took me a long time to appreciate my Mom's "rightness".
Yeah, I had to learn that one the hard way, too. Mom is ALWAYS right.
You were so cute 🙂
Your teacher sounds lile a beeyotch.
Kate, you where never an ugly duckling! I have always thought you where completely and utterly gorgeous! I was extremely jealous of you until long after we both went to college.
Ugh, that must've blown. 🙁 4th grade was the hardest for me because I had transferred schools and felt like I was sticking out like a sore thumb. I had to wear casual clothes for the better part of the first week of school because my uniforms weren't done, which didn't help my cause at all.
And pshaw! You weren't and aren't an ugly duckling! 😉
Awww, I think you were adorable in 5th grade and equally as adorable now!
Mother knows best, right?! So funny how we are SO SURE we know better than they do. She could have just forced you to change, but it made a bigger impression on you that she let you make the call.
Cute pictures!
Two of our neighbor girls are at that supremely know-it-all age that comes around the 5th grade. I thought of them reading this. I'm not their mother, but I often have occasion to shake my head because they just insist they have it all figured out. Part of maturity is realizing we don't.
I'm all angry at that teacher! How Catholic of her – NOT!
sister.. this whole story hurt my feelings.. never do this to me again
right, but you know how the story goes… one day you will become the swan. Then you’ll not be the ugly dnkulicg anymore… you’ll be the ugly swan! :DOK, better go to bed now… it’s too late for good jokes! 🙁
Thanks for that! It’s just the answer I needed.
aww you poor thing! How horrible of that teacher! What did your brother & sister wear?
You were NOT an ugly duckling, we grew up int he 90s it was just an ugly clothing time period haha!
My brother went to catholic high school and dress down days were BIG to him so I can only imagine if he was the only one who didn't!