"Reading, Writing and Arithmatic Are The Branches Of The Learning Tree..."

Good morning, what a beautiful day (I hope the same can be said of where you are right now too), the Challenge at Kenny K's Krafty Krew this week is (#109) Back To School and that of course got me to thinking about my own school days.
I attended the obligatory reunion around my 40th Birthday and was amazed to learn how many people there were looking back through rose tinted glasses. There was a girl at the bar when I arrived and she was stunned that she didn't know me from our school days, she couldn't believe that we had never been in the same social groups or that she didn't at least remember my name. I had to point out to her that the reason for this massive oversight on her behalf was due to the fact that she wasn't in the same class as me (and I don't mean socially!) and as my memory served, she spent most of her time with her girlfriends being a Grade A bi*@h to every boy who even dared to enter their radar! I pointed out to her that there were an awful lot of people at school I stayed well clear of for that very reason and I was amazed that she had been able to rewrite her own history, no longer was she the 'Mean Girl', now she was Miss Congeniality!
Of course British schools in the 1970's were nothing like the cool, modern, whitewashed buildings of US movies. They were grey, tired prefab buildings with the permanent stench of cabbage and desperation about them. They were filled to the brim with embittered teachers whose soul had been crushed by the weight of their pre-pubescent cannon-fodder whose only hope of escape from the area was to join the Armed Forces or hope that they were 'discovered' (for what though still remains a mystery!!), failing this they had a life on the dole/at the local steelworks to look forward to, until the grim reaper too their final breath with one last lash of his sythe.
Was it this grim? Probably not, but I really don't have a wealth of positive memories to draw from. I was bullied for a while but that stopped when I finally had enough and actually stood up for myself. In retrospect, I probaby asked for it, as I imagine I was quite a distant child who (as in adulthood) only had a few 'real' friends and these people were fiercly guarded from intruders taking them away from me. I had a particularly heinous homelife and used to gravitate towards kids from 'happy' family homes. I liked to surround myself with friends who came from large/ish families and who had siblings to share their hopes and fears with. My sister is nine years older than me (I'm sure she's delighted that particular cat is out of the bag!!) and as such was never really around while I was growing up, plus she really didn't like me either!
Of course it wasn't all bad. School gave me the one thing that has been with me throughout my life - art. I wasn't a particularly academic child (I could have been if I hadn't set my sights so firmly on joining the Royal Air Force where I knew I didn't need any qualifications to get into the areas I really wanted to join) and I hated sport with a passion, we had a Sports teacher who would watch us play rugby from the comfort of his Ford Fiesta, ocassionally rolling the window down to let the steam from his flask of soup obscuring his field of vision totally. But art class was where I came alive. My imagination was fired up and all I could see were an endless world of possibilities, one filled with every different type of medium known to man and colours that could make you weep. I loved to paint and draw and my favourite medium to work in was charcoal and pencil. It wasn't a particularly well funded art programme (this being the industrial North East, where men were men and the children frightened!) but we had teachers who went above and beyond for us and I will always be indebted to them, so let me take this chance to say Thank You now and I hope I have repaid their generosity with an ongoing yearning to keep learning about something so precious to me.
As for the day to day stories, I am going to save them for another day. I must remember to tell you about the time I was arrested for breaking and entering - into my own home!! But that's for another time and now I feel I should tell you a little bit about this week's card. I have used Kenny's Sexy Teacher (available here) and I have kept my colour palette very neutral this week, this card could easily be sent to a man or a woman and I love the argyll striped ribbon which I found at the bottom a drawer earlier in the week.
So that's it for this week, I will be back with some more projects soon,
take care and Hugs 'n Stuff,
Andy
xx
Rntered Into: Incy Wincy Designs Challenge - Back To School
Critter Sketch Challenge #131 - Back To School Is Cool
Hooked On Craft Challenge #24 - Cards For Men
Love To Create Challenge #31 - Back To School
Paper Pretties Challenge #55 - Create A Square Card
The Cutie Pie Challenge #26 - NO Flowers!
Di's Digi Designs Challenge - Back To School
QKR Stampede Challenge #4 - Back To School
Daring Cardmakers Challenge - Colour Inspiration
Art Impressions Challenge #79 - School/Office Supplies