2.31 Needs Improvement

October 1957 • Honolulu, Hawaii ~ Once again I was in a new school. There were four other haoles (mostly the white children of Navy families from the States stationed in the area) in my class and the rest of the kids were locals of mixed heritage, Chinese, or Japanese descent. The locals dressed like any kid except they didn’t wear shoes to school. Some wore flip-flops but most went barefoot, the bottoms of their tanned feet toughened like cowhide.

Manoa Elementary School (photo taken in 1994)

I did well in reading but spelling and math were a struggle. The class was way ahead of my fourth-grade class in California, already practicing long division, and with dismay I sat in befuddlement, the numbers melting into smudge marks on the board. My report card from Manoa Elementary reads like a mini-biography. My grades were average (except my D in  Spelling and Social Studies). My stay in the hospital sometime after Easter was noted by the seven days marked absent. My mother’s signature indicates she received my report card, the Parent’s Remarks box left blank.

Mrs. Monn marked most of my Social Attitudes and Work Habits as SATISFACTORY. I would like to point out, however, she marked me COMMENDABLE in:

• Obeys school rules and regulations
• Accepts constructive criticism and suggestions
• Accepts share of work and responsibilities
• Practices Self Control.

It’s not like I made any effort to excel in these behaviors; they were my nature. Of course I was obedient; it was my nature to be a good girl. And yes, I wanted to know what I’d done wrong so I could avoid doing it again. And yes, I was responsible; I’d been taking care of myself from the day I was dropped off at my mother’s doorstep. And I did practice self-control; with no rules at home, I created my own, my berating inner voice and my Catholic God keeping me in constant check.

to be continued…

© 2018. Catherine Sevenau.
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