NABLOPOMO: Tell us about your earliest school memories.

I mentioned in the last post that I was enrolled in a Lab School as a child. The basic gist is that the teachers were there to help our young minds blossom to their full potential based on various theories proposed by child psychologists.I remember a bunch of tree climbing and role-playing, with a couple nap times and snacks thrown in.

Teachers for the pre-school aged kids (which was my group) would ask us to play out a scenario like dinner, or home making. We'd go to the costume chest, then play with the kitchen sets and essential act out what we thought adulthood was. Only I never wanted to be the one who was in the kitchen "cooking". I would put on ties and hats and push boys out of the truck to be the man of the house. The teachers never scolded that, but encouraged it.

For "free time" which was what we called recess, I would climb the trees or play on the monkey bars. My socialization level wasn't very good. I didn't get along with kids my age. Crippling social anxiety rearing its ugly head that early? Maybe.

Snack time was much nicer than at Montessori, because no one was scolded for eating before anyone else. I was traumatised by that dress down, and still remember it twenty-three years later. And that's also why hearing Montessori will make my hackles rise.