JUST...

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL

Had just dropped Kade off at school this morning and took this shot of the wall beside the bus stop. Couldn't get the song out of my head all the way home and got thinking how things have changed since I was at school.

Things were a nightmare for me at school. I moved to Dundee when I was just going into second year and right away I was picked on because I was different, had a different accent. The bullying continued right through high school to the point that as I should have been a Christmas leaver, I went back after the summer holidays for 2 weeks then just didn't go back.

Also it wasn't picked up on that I had hearing problems. I can remember sitting in the class looking at my teacher talking and thinking I was so thick because I couldn't understand one word she was saying. It sounded like a foriegn language to me. I thought she was just using words I was to thick to understand. It wasn't till I was 18 that I noticed my hearing getting worse and was sent for tests. I have only 40% hearing in both ears.

To make things worse I remember going for the usual school eye tests and being sent to the optician and my Mum being told I needed glasses. Then my Mum asked if I got glasses would I wear them?

NO WAY!

SO SHE DIDN'T GET ME THE GLASSES!!

So at school as well as not being able to hear/understand a word... I couldn't see the bloody blackboard either! I don't know how I got through school because I can't ever remember actually writing anything or doing any work!

Now I understand that I wasn't thick, just deaf. But that left me with no qualifications as I wasn't able to understand things in the classroom. That and leaving as soon as I could because of the bullying. I taught myself to spell (well kinda) by doing crosswords and puzzles and later when my older 2 kids were young, by going to adult learning classes.