Teacher Gertrude

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Teacher Gertrude 

When I was in school, I used to collect "full attendance" certificates. I came to school every day even on the day's when I wasn't writing. Marking the register was always priority. Exam season, we would be like 4 or 5 in the classroom, I didn't care, it was cool. We didn't have classwork, the teachers were liberated and you basically got a free pass to go anywhere. In the 3rd grade my teacher got pregnant and was replaced by a substitute teacher "Miss Gertrude". Teacher Gertrude didn't like me at all. She thought I was 'stout', mischievous and loud. I did all my classwork and homework but that was not enough. She used to weaponize the prize giving ceremony against me. "Do this or you won't go to prize giving. Shut up or you won't go to prize giving", it got stale and lost all potency. Her threats stopped being credible, they weren't based on anything real so they didn't change my conduct. She would scold and shout at me. Prize giving season came and legible students got invitations, true to her word, I didn't get an invitation, I was not going to prize giving. It didn't hit me too hard because I knew I'd get a "full attendance" certificate. I'd been perfect all year, no missed day. Teacher Gertrude took that away from me too. She said I'd been absent for 1 day, I pleaded my case and advised her she was mistaken but she said the register doesn't lie. I was fully present under Mrs. Bosman for three terms and I happen to miss one day under Miss Gertrude? How nice. A stain on my record. She didn't mark me on the register. I was fuming. The first time I had ever felt injustice. That year I attended every day of school for nothing! No certificate, no recognition, just nothing! There were days when I could have missed school but I didn't because I wanted that certificate. I went to school every day only for the substitute teacher to void my year. Teacher Gertrude took away my full attendance certificate! There was no ways of telling too because you only got that certificate on the last day of the school year. I was genuinely thunderstruck when I saw that 1 day absent on my report card. Mrs. Bosman why did you have to get pregnant and leave me with Teacher Gertrude? Everything was great, you introduced me to poetry but then you were pregnant and everything changed! Teacher Gertrude was the first person to teach me human nature. You can take prize giving away from me but don't deny me of my full attendance certificate. Denying me of full attendance is diabolical because it's blatant, you see me every day, it's a lie, it's unprofessional. If it weren't for poetry, I never would have gotten anything that year. You didn't win Miss Gertrude, poetry exonerated me. 

I was always disappointed with Teacher Gertrude but I forgive you. I have always been a bit of a perfectionist, Mr. Hyperacheiver, only now I see that it can be used against me just like how Teacher Gertrude once did. 

When I was class captain, I strived to do things the right way. My numbers were always perfect and I made sure teachers signed the register after every period. I was exemplary, the administration side of the office loved me. I still went to school every day and I never cheated anybody out of a "full attendance" because I know how it feels. You didn't win Teacher Gertrude. 

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