Page 19 - Free the Idea Monkey

I CAN’T TEACH THIS MONKEY!
Sister Helen had us sitting at attention for roll call. (Really,

she would have had us standing at attention, but the boys fidgeted
too much.)

As the “M”s approached, I began to anticipate proudly announc-
ing that the rest of the class was indeed graced with my presence.

For the record, I was a pretty good kid and generally liked by
teachers and classmates, but I wasn’t much of a student. I spent
most of my time doodling, daydreaming and trying to crack up
my friends. School was not my thing and my parents knew it.
They both had been great students, so I’m pretty sure they were
seriously concerned about my future, but both were charmed by
my antics and believed wholly in the power of prayer. (One of
the reasons, I am sure, they sent me to Catholic school.) If prayer
didn’t work, there was always guilt, but that’s a completely
different book.

CLASS RULES (you are expected to know these)
1. You may NOT interrupt < . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. You may NOT whisper < . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .
3. You may NOT touch one another < . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. You may NOT come to class “unwashed” < . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. You may NOT switch from your assigned seats < . . . . . . . . . .
6. You cannot wear anything but your uniforms < . . . . . . . . . . .
7. There will be NO swearing < . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. There will be NO yelling < . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9. You may NOT read anything but assigned material... < . . . . . .

you may NOT work on anything but what is being taught

4 FREE THE IDEA MONKEY