24.4.11

List # 54: A Good Catholic Girl

I am a Catholic Girl. Actually, scratch that. I'm a Lapsed Catholic Girl who still says silent prayers at night but hasn't been to Confession since the 8th grade and doesn't actually believe in all those silly little ideas the Catholic church has about gay marriage and birth control and all that other jazz.

I believe in a higher power, but I don't believe that there is one particular god that reigns above all else. I believe in love. I believe that if we put good things out in the world, good things come back. And I do believe that we should do unto others as we would have done unto us. I believe that whatever higher power is out there comes to each & every one of us in a different way. Because we all have different journeys and we all have different needs, but each one of us needs love.

And all of this is quite different, but not vastly different, than all the lessons I learned in 8 years of Catholic School. For I was most definitely attended Catholic grade school from first to eighth grade. And in honor of Easter & my Catholic roots, tonight's list are things that happened in Catholic School:
  • In the Fifth Grade, one of the 2 Billy's in our classroom threw thumb tacks onto the ceiling. He probably got a detention for this, but I don't really remember. And since I had 2 younger brothers that attended the school, I can let you know that as of 2005 they were still stuck up there.
  • Our school community was small, with lots & lots of children. Being that I lived very close to the school (and had 2 younger brothers with lots of friends & my parents were friends with their friends) I was the hired babysitter for many of the younger kids at school. I loved babysitting. I modeled myself after The Babysitter's Club and always had a craft or game that I brought with me. Babysitting was the best job ever, all through high school.
  • I graduated with 33 kids in our 8th grade. And we were together, in one room, from the 3rd grade on up.
  • Just because I didn't technically attend "middle school" doesn't mean I missed out on ridicule. Pretty much bullies happened in the 7th grade and I was awkward, my family had little money & girls were mean.
  • I didn't skip out on school the day my littlest brother was born when I was in the 4th grade. Not only was I nerd who loved school, but the best substitute ever: Mrs. Gergich (??) was filling in for our regular teacher. And she occupied us telling stories of Mount St. Helen's erupting and was the tiniest little thing ever.
  • My grade school best friend & I played Barbies clear on up to the 7th grade. I was okay with that then & I am okay with that now.
  • My 4th grade math teacher was arrested on suspicion for inappropriately touching his students. This didn't actually happen until I was a junior in high school and he had only taught out our Catholic school for one year, but boy, was that still a scandal. And come to think of it, I don't actually know what happened with that story.
  • I never received detention (I never got it in public high school either) and was only told to stay inside for recess twice. The first time in first grade after my best friend & I finished our work early and were, apparently, being too loud when making paper snow flakes at our desks. And the second for fiddling with ballerina earrings my mom made me during 5th grade math class. I was really worried they were going to fall out, a fear that still haunts me with earrings today as I'm constantly losing them.
  • I never had to wear a school uniform.
This trip down memory was really fun actually and I'm going to stop here so I can save some stories for later. I hope everyone had an Easter holiday filled with love and smiles, even among the rough spots in life. And tell me in the comments, lovelies, what are your most vivid memories of grade school? Did you go to Catholic school? Private? Or were you one of those Public School CCD students who always stole things out our Catholic school desks?

Much love, as always

6 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this and I agree on the catholic views completely

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  2. This is awesome, Shan! I went to Catholic school K-12. I hated when CCD kids came in and ransacked our desks. Or when they'd steal the one teacher's Jolly Ranchers from the cabinet and we couldn't have them for math games the next day.

    Sean and I often reminisce about Catholic School Mexican Pizza. Did you ever have those for lunch??? Amazing.

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  3. I went K-8 then defected to public school. I think we had 45 kids in my 8th grade class and that was huge. My mom still works at my school and I think they're nearer to 20 in 8th grade now.

    I made my stage debut in Robin Hood in 6th grade at Queen of Angels. Probably my best memory from those years, haha.

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  4. Oh, I love the Catholic School memories.

    We most definitely DID have Mexican pizza. Did you, Brenna?
    I always packed a lunch though & had to beg my mom to buy. Potato bar was another favorite of mine.

    And in the 8th grade we did a play called (I think) Go West Young, Man. I had one of the 2 leads & was one of my favorite memories too.

    I can assure you that Catholic School Memories will make another appearance on the blog. Ha.

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  5. Did you grow up scared that Mary was going to appear to you after watching Our Lady of Guadalupe? I have a few other Catholic School friends who had that same fear I did and for the same reason.

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  6. Leanne, yes I did. I grew up half-wondering why Mary wasn't appearing to me on a daily basis. And half-scared sh*tless that one day she would.

    I was more fascinated with Our Lady of Fatima though. With the dancing sun and the secrets that one girl ended up telling the Pope. I still want to know what Mary told her.

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