About this school experience

[londonmummy1234]

Sorry, probably in the wrong category.
I am teaching my son the alphabet and I keep getting muddled up when it comes to the LMNOP bit.

It reminded me of an incident at school when I was (I think) in year 3. We were practising handwriting and had to write out the alphabet. I couldn't do it, I got all muddled and I vividly remember trying to copy the girl next to me. I can still remember the horrible churning feeling in my stomach of not knowing what to write and feeling like such an idiot. Anyway, the teacher noticed. She called me out in the class, I can't remember what she said exactly but it was something like "if you don't know your alphabet then you may as well go back to reception and learn it". This was in front of all my classmates. I remember the giggles. She sent me down to Reception. I can remember everything so clearly. Reception was empty (I remember thinking thank god for that) apart from the class teacher marking. I explained I needed to learn the alphabet and I just remember sitting there feeling sick and so stupid, looking up at the big alphabet poster on the wall.

I struggled most of my school life with remembering things like times tables etc. But went on to do quite well and go to uni. Anyway.. I just wanted to get it out there in the open as I never told anyone about that experience and it still kind of makes me feel sick when I think of it.

Who else has any experiences like this at school?

I'm dyslexic. At college my biology lecturer said in front of the whole class " I have never seen so many spelling mistakes in one paragraph. There is no such thing as dyslexia, your just lazy". I got a biology degree still. But I cried and walked out to the SEN department.

I still feel incredibly stupid inside. Degree or not. It stayed with me. I honestly can not spell or learn to spell. If I learn five words, then five more, the first five are lost again. I can write a corporate website and call back complex database queries and use this to report to PMQs with a hours notice though. Because most programming languages spell check

I think it was fairly common in the 70s / 80s.

I had a lovely (respected, experienced) year 5 teacher who I remember doing something similar which I'm sure today would cost her her job.

There was a boy in our class who was a general pita, silly, disruptive etc. She let the other kids make a sign to put around his neck which read "my name is x x, I am a baby, I need my nappy changing". And he had to wear it for about 10 minutes whilst all the kids laughed and pointed at him.

As if wasnt bad enough, the reception teacher happened to pop in, (the kind of teacher everyone adored) and she said she would take him down to reception for the kids there to join in, although he didn't actually go.

I just wanted to say I’m so sorry you went through this, I can recall several similar experiences and feel so sad for my child self- but on reflection it made me tougher as an adult and I like to think I’ve learnt from it and as such am trying to teach my own dc resilience. When I was in the military, they always said “if you’re going to make a mistake, make it” I learnt after what they meant.