Saturday 23 January 2010
08:29 | Posted by
Dale Darley |
I wonder what the teacher from my primary school thought she was doing when she told my dad 'your daughter will never go to University'. I hadn't remember this negative statement until this morning when lying awake in the early hours, my thoughts wandering around my mind maze uncovered a few forgotten things. I went on to pass my 11 plus.
School bored me, the rules enraged me, long skirts and flat Clarkes shoes. I razored the shoes and hitched the skirt up. The irony, I wear Clarkes now! I never realised how poor my parents were or how hard they saved to ensure that my feet were clad in the best shoes. Sorry guys!!! And thank you, I have good feet or in the words of a not so nice acquaintance 'you have young feet' eh?
The teacher was almost right. I ended up getting expelled from school. On returning to the UK, I insisted that I went to a comprehensive as the local grammer school was girls only, I was a tomboy and I wanted male company. When batman chucked me out, my dad said ' are you mental or what' I went with gritted teeth to night school with my mum to get 5 'O' levels and later an 'A' level. They said ' you can get a nice job in the civil service'. 5 mind numbingly years in the inland revenue was not a nice job.
Let me take you on a tangent. Whilst thinking about school I remembered my friend Linda C. Linda and some other friends would skive off as often as possible, she and I would hitch to Birmingham and pretend to our parents that we were staying with each other. Silly and dangerous, but such fun. Of course we got caught and Lindas dad made me grass myself up to my parents. Then came the expulsion.
I had forgotten that just a month before we had gone looking in her dads briefcase for the logo I had designed for his company newsletter. Whilst delving we found photos of a woman naked with her legs open on the marital bed, clearly not her mum. A sharper person would have kept the evidence for emergencies.
Fast forward to 1991, I, after years of being told I was stupid, I started and gained an MBA, they even put my dissertation in the library. So the teacher was wrong I did go to university after all.
Now a sucker for punishment I began a relentless search for knowledge and studied a wide range of things, crystal therapy, human nutrition, reiki, life drawing, creative writing and god knows what else. Every time vowing I wouldn't take any more on.
2009, when I needed a change of direction and distraction, I enrolled on the ILM level 7 certificate in coaching and mentoring and NLP practitioner. Why did I do them together I ask myself as the pain of constant studying and writing assignments slowly diminishes? It was strangely cathartic.
Will I be going back to university???
Damn right! I am already in discussions for the next round of pain and discovery.
To the teacher and to everyone who opens their stupid mouths to tell someone that they wont amount to much, they are stupid or can't do something. STOP. Engage your brains. Say something positive, motivate and encourage. If you can't, then say nothing at all.
And thank you to all of the negative, controlling people who did open their mouths, you inspired me, one of the greatest pleasures in my life is doing what you said I couldn't do!
The teacher was almost right. I ended up getting expelled from school. On returning to the UK, I insisted that I went to a comprehensive as the local grammer school was girls only, I was a tomboy and I wanted male company. When batman chucked me out, my dad said ' are you mental or what' I went with gritted teeth to night school with my mum to get 5 'O' levels and later an 'A' level. They said ' you can get a nice job in the civil service'. 5 mind numbingly years in the inland revenue was not a nice job.
Let me take you on a tangent. Whilst thinking about school I remembered my friend Linda C. Linda and some other friends would skive off as often as possible, she and I would hitch to Birmingham and pretend to our parents that we were staying with each other. Silly and dangerous, but such fun. Of course we got caught and Lindas dad made me grass myself up to my parents. Then came the expulsion.
I had forgotten that just a month before we had gone looking in her dads briefcase for the logo I had designed for his company newsletter. Whilst delving we found photos of a woman naked with her legs open on the marital bed, clearly not her mum. A sharper person would have kept the evidence for emergencies.
Fast forward to 1991, I, after years of being told I was stupid, I started and gained an MBA, they even put my dissertation in the library. So the teacher was wrong I did go to university after all.
Now a sucker for punishment I began a relentless search for knowledge and studied a wide range of things, crystal therapy, human nutrition, reiki, life drawing, creative writing and god knows what else. Every time vowing I wouldn't take any more on.
2009, when I needed a change of direction and distraction, I enrolled on the ILM level 7 certificate in coaching and mentoring and NLP practitioner. Why did I do them together I ask myself as the pain of constant studying and writing assignments slowly diminishes? It was strangely cathartic.
Will I be going back to university???
Damn right! I am already in discussions for the next round of pain and discovery.
To the teacher and to everyone who opens their stupid mouths to tell someone that they wont amount to much, they are stupid or can't do something. STOP. Engage your brains. Say something positive, motivate and encourage. If you can't, then say nothing at all.
And thank you to all of the negative, controlling people who did open their mouths, you inspired me, one of the greatest pleasures in my life is doing what you said I couldn't do!
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