Reply #13: 3rd Grade, Old Bat Mrs. Burress [View All]

[distantearlywarning]

Yes, I still remember her name 25 years later. That's how much of an impression she made on me. I wondered for a brief moment if she was dead yet, but then figured she was too pickled and sour to die. She's probably still tormenting innocent 3rd graders out there somewhere.

She was the kind of teacher that was primarily interested in order and discipline - love of learning can come second just so long as everything is in its proper place and every student is following the (many) classroom rules. My constant questioning of everything, creativity, and anti-authority streak even at that young age made me her least-favorite student that year. I think I must have been sent to the office at least 25 times that year, mostly for offenses ranging from asking "why" when told to do something to having an untidy desk (the horror!).

The worst thing, though, was that I attended a gifted school one day a week. On that day I had to be in her classroom for one hour in the morning, and then was allowed to leave to take a bus to the other school where the gifted program was held. She was extremely resentful that I of all her students was the one going to the gifted school (because in her world, tidy, meek, rule-following students were the "gifted" ones). So to punish me, she regularly made fun of me in front of the other kids when I had to leave in the morning. Example: "DistantEarlyWarning gets to LEAVE again. She probably thinks she's SPECIAL! Isn't that right, DistantEarlyWarning? You think you're better than everyone else?" And other things like that.

It was great. I LOVED being singled out like that. :sarcasm:

To this day it still pisses me off royally when people talk shit like that about gifted and talented kids. That's actually probably my number one button in the entire world - assholes making fun of and trying to squash talented people (smart, athletic, or whatever) just because they happen to have something some other mean little person doesn't. I liked my special school, but I didn't ask to be put there, and I didn't think I was better than anyone else in my class. I just wanted my teacher not to make fun of me in front of all the other students. Sadly, that's been a recurring theme throughout my life - don't dare show how smart you are, don't act "special", pretend you're dumb or risk the wrath of resentful, angry people.

But I guess we've already had the flame wars from hell here on DU about the whole gifted and talented / anti-intellectual thing.

Mrs. Burress, wherever you are, you suck. And I'm a very successful adult, no thanks to you trying to crush the spirit of the 9 year old me every day.