I do not remember my school years as being happy ones. The language gave me a disadvantage, my classmates did not have.
Also my home environment still remained totally French! Plus I also faced the problems of our constantly moving, and the changing of schools. I had few if any friends, and felt like the "outsider" that I was.
I was not athletic, so didn't fit in that elite group either. To be honest, school was not the happiest time of my life!
All was not lost...I'm what people refer to as a "late bloomer"! At the age of 35, I was able to return to a regular high school! As a child I had wanted to become a nurse. Here was my golden opportunity to return to school, and pursue an old dream.
I was to be placed in what we call grade 11...but begged to start at the grade 10 level. I was totally insecure! The reaction from my classmates were quite icy at the beginning. Later, once they realized that I was just one of them, many became my school buddies. It seemed that word had gone around that I was a "narc" who was there to check up on them!
My classmates were the ones to give me my nick-name of "maddiebaby"! It became, "hey, maddiebaby how did you do in the math exam, or biology test" or whatever papers we had just written!
I must confess that my first three months were the most difficult ones I ever had to get through. I was a nervous wreck! I perspired due to fear constantly...sweat running down through my hair, and down my neck. I carried man-size kleenex to mop myself up. This dear readers was due to my fear of failure!
Finally the end of my first semester! To my surprise...yes I was surprised to see that I had made honors in all subjects in the first term.
I did however, wonder how many of these great marks had been "given" to me...to encourage me? Second semester...my marks improved, and then, and only then did I begin to feel some confidence.
It was at this point that I asked permission to hop-skip into grade 12 the following year. Permission was granted!
I will always be grateful to the many dedicated teachers I had, especially my grade 10 English teacher, she was an exceptional young woman!
Grade twelve flew by. I sent applications to three nursing schools, and was accepted by each of them. Plus I graduated with honors! I felt blessed, the world was my oyster! I was never so happy!