Growing Up

So recently, I found my old report cards. They gave us all a good laugh. But one really jumped out at me. It was my kindergarten report card from the only city school I attended. I don't remember the teacher. I don't remember one kid's name. But! I knew I loved school. So I was curious what the teacher had to say about me, a little quiet student lost in a shuffle of a large city class. Two sentences jumped out:
Tanya has shown a keen interest and enthusiasm in learning. She has developed a special interest in words... and Tanya has shown an interest in our cultural and others. 
I do remember learning about letters and how they made words. It was fascinating. I always loved learning about different places and people, especially my own cultural. Maybe she wrote that on everyone's report cards, but it made me feel at home when I read that.

I don't remember ever reading or seeing that report until now.

Thirty-four years later, I write and I work for a cultural centre. Words and cultural are my world. Isn't it weird that I showed interest in those things that young and it never changed? If you follow the report cards, the only thing that changed was that I grew stronger in math and gym (have any of you almost failed gym class? lol), but always social studies and languages were clearly my favs.

Not long ago my daughter had to do one of those career tests to see what might be the perfect career for her. So for fun I did it with her. What came up? Writing and working in a cultural center. Not even kidding you.

When I was younger I wanted to be Superman's girlfriend. I mean think about it, she was a writer, she got to travel to other places, and well... Superman...

Okay, I see the pattern; words and culture.

Anyway, point is, we can't really change who we are, can we? So what did you want to be when you grew up and how much did you change since you were 5? I apparently am right where I started, only so very much older with still so much to learn about everything. 

7 comments:

writing and living by Richard P Hughes said...

I didn't go to kindergarten. There wasn't any in my school system at that time. I jumped right in with the 1st grade. I have no idea what was written about me as a student.

DUTA said...

When I was in elementary school I dreamt of being a teacher. I liked the enormous respect teachers get from both pupils and parents, and I also thought very highly of the teaching profession itself. That was in a communist country with homogenous population, where discipline is, and rightly so, the key to success.

I couldn't know then that things change in life. I moved to another country.I worked as a teacher for seven years only, and then chose another line of work. As a teacher I had to be a lot of things: social worker, parent substitute, entertainer,janitor, you name it - and that was too hard for me. When you've experienced another reality , you'll always compare and never be happy with the present reality.

NikkiMartine said...

Oh boy...good question. Back then all I can remember was wanting to be with my mom and dad at home on the farm. Yup, I was one of those kids. Now I am living in on the West Coast and do not go back very often. I do not remember being at the ripe old age of 5 and knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up, nor do I have my report card to hear what Madame Blezy would have said. She did however give us a video tape on our graduation day of us 8 playing games during her class. i'm not sure there were big dreams and aspirations of much. I don't recall wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer, or a writer such as yourself. Thinking about the kid that I saw on that tape; the pony tailed, gum chewing little girl, I'm not sure I wanted to be anything but funny at the time. A bit of a people pleaser, happy just entertaining and being a class clown was perhaps good enough at the time.

In the end, I don't think much has really changed over the years.
I'm certainly still a homebody. Even though home is now a few provinces over from where I grew up.
And although for more than half of my life I have lived in BC, I will always refer to myself as a 'farm girl from Saskatchewan'. I will always relate to that pain in the ass kid who loved to make others laugh, and career? Well, I'm not much different than I was at 5 either. I still don't know what I want to be when I grown up!

So not much changes, you're right Tanya! Congratulations on your success as a writer!
ps. When I marry Superman you will be invited to the wedding.

Tanya Reimer said...

Richard, that's too bad, wouldn't it be fun to see if the teacher thought you had a keen eye for art or telling stories?

Duta, I am glad you got to try it out though! It is a most demanding job! I can't imagine.

Oh Nikki, I already married him! Lol. Thanks. Enjoy BC! And yes, I remember you as the fun one!

Suzi said...

I'm not sure what I wanted to be when I was younger. The earliest memories of that would've been more like junior high, and I'd wanted to be a lawyer. I considered it after college, but it wouldn't have really worked. I would've had to drive 60 miles from where we lived because that was the nearest law school.

I wish I knew what I'd talked about when I was really young. It'd be fun to know.

Shell Flower said...

Hahaha. I almost failed gym class in high school. It actually brought my GPA down, which is pathetic. I don't remember what I wanted to be in Kindergarten, but I do recall wanting to be a stuntwoman at one point.

Misha Gerrick said...

So you're one of the lucky few already doing what you've always loved. ^_^