And by school I mean high school. Not uni. Uni's okay. It's only ever okay. But more about that another time maybe, I want to talk about my old high school!
I haven't talked about myself on this blog (it did start out as a place for me to just post my creative writing pieces) but my mind can't stop running (unfortunately for me...) and my itching fingers can't stop typing (unfortunately for you...) so today we're going to take a little trip down memory lane.
I went back to Winthrop today for their open day. My parents were running a stall and I went along to visit and hang out. I would've gone anyway even if they weren't helping out. Going back was fun, I got to see all my old high school teachers and some of my friends which was really good because I haven't seen some of them in a while.
First up, I went to visit my dance mummy, Skye. She was one of the most supportive people in my high school life and she's still there for me. I love her to bits. Dance has been such a lighthouse in my life, especially in high school where I really needed something solid to hang on to. In dance, I found my heart and passion, I found my family and I found a reason to wake up every day. It didn't matter that Skye only taught me for one year, what mattered was the impact she made and still does make on me. She showed me the sort of dancer I could be and she brought the other dance girls and I together as a family. Never did I think that I would be such good friends with the girls I had dance with but by the end of year 12 we were such a close knit bunch. We had come from such different social groups but through dance we created our own little family and world. She just invests so much time and effort into us and our talents.
Skye has inspired me so much (oh gosh, I'm tearing up...) and I can honestly say that I would not be the person I am today if I hadn't had met her. She encouraged me and supported me and loved me and laughed with me and cried with me and understood me. I wouldn't have given WAAPA a shot if she hadn't encouraged me, that's for sure. I'm not even sure if I would still be dancing if she hadn't inspired me. Year 11 dance had been awful. She had had a tough job when she took over. I remember thinking that no matter how much I enjoyed dance, if we had another terrible teacher, I would drop the subject. I'm so grateful that she came along to pick the pieces of our once fairly strong dance department up and weld it back together like new. She's an amazing and talented person with such a big heart.
Before I found Skye though, I ran into Madam Henri. Now, Madam has pretty much seen me grow up through high school. She's the only teacher who has taught me every single year of high school. Madam Henri is my original school mummy. She was my French teacher. She's so cute and I also love her to little itty bitty bits. Our French class was also very close. Wellllllll for me at least but that's something that I won't get into. By the time we got to year 12, there was only five of us and I got along very well with everyone (except one person which I will also not go into).
Madam is adorable. She is small, has big eyes, the LONGEST lashes, the curliest hair and is just the cutest. She probably won't like me saying that about her but I think she is. Teaching me for five years straight is an accomplishment. No other teacher has done that and as a result, we have grown very close. That and the small group of people we had in our class all contributed to the really supportive atmosphere our class had. I love her so much.
I also had to go looking for my school dad, Mr Altraide. Mr Altraide is one of the best teachers you will ever have and if he's ever taught you, you'll agree with me. He is a fantastic teacher and such a supportive one too. Most teachers just teach you what the syllabus says but Mr Altraide does that and so much more. He invests so much time and effort into helping his students and making school an enjoyable learning place for them. I have first hand experience with this. I did physics in high school and when I started in year 11, I absolutely hated it. I was pretty much failing it and no matter how much I complained and cried and whined about how much I disliked it, Mr Altraide's support and help didn't falter one bit. He would help me as best as he could, explaining the same things over and over again and telling me that it was okay if I didn't pass, I could always try again next time.
Year 12 was no different (although my hatred of physics wasn't as strong). I would be almost in tears telling him how stressed I was because I didn't understand it and I didn't want to be doing it but yet, he never told me to just drop it. He would come over and give me tutoring, stay back at school and give me tutoring, give up his lunch time to give me tutoring, always be on call if I needed help, he would pray for me when I did and didn't need it and so much more. All for free.
(On a side note - I don't know why I kept with physics. Now that I've gone through it though, I don't regret it. It's actually so helpful especially with dance.)
Mr Altraide was also my school dad because he was my year 12 mentor. At Winthrop, when you're in year 12, some of the teachers pick a number of students to be mentors for so that all the students have one. They just basically watch over you in the stress hole that is year 12. They were more than just teachers and mentors though, they were friends. I'll always remember walking into his science lab whenever (lunch time, after school, school holidays) for a chat or single or group tutoring and him always being ready with some food and drinks. The beginning of my conversation with him today when I saw him pretty much went like this:
Mr Altraide: Hey Des!
Me: MR ALTRAIDE! *big bear hug*
Mr Altraide: How are you?
Me: Good! How are you?
Mr Altraide: Me? I'm great! Want some ice cream?
And off he went to get ice cream from his freezer in his office.
He's not only is he like a dad to me, he's also pretty much a friend to my family. He taught my older sister when she went to Winthrop as well and my parents love him. It's not hard to though.
I should probably also mention what he looks like. He looks like a black santa, no joke. Round, jolly, ALWAYS laughing and smiling (as the Facebook groups go: you know shits about to go down when Mr Altraide doesn't laugh or smile), always with presents (food) and always ready with his massive heart of gold. He also has one heck of a life story and testimony. Even with the really sad parts, he still manages to tell them with a laugh. I've learned from Mr Altraide that when something really bad happens, you can either take it with a positive attitude or a negative attitude and the outcomes can depend on how you take it. So take it with a positive attitude and if things don't work out, then at least you can say you tried. I'm trying to do that but sometimes it's hard. All the same, Mr Altraide is adorable.
Special mentions also go out to these people:
Miss Talbot, who was a really great support in year 11. Year 11 was probably my hardest year (yeah, harder than year 12) and she was just a really great friend and support for me to have.
Miss Haydock, who I get along with like two peas in a pod! It's always a pleasure seeing her and chatting to her.
THE DON! Mr Hart is just champion. 'Nuff said.
Burto, who I can't believe is leaving WBC! And who I also cannot believe actually likes durian?! Ewww.
Going back to Winthrop not only gave me a chance to catch up with teachers and friends but I also got to realise just how much I loved that place. This isn't a new revelation for me, I knew when I was going to WBC that I loved it, but now that I'm not there anymore, I really do miss it. Maybe not so much the school work but most definitely the people and atmosphere. High school was hard for me, really hard at some points but I actually wouldn't change it for anything. Going through all the highs and lows and abysses (whether it be by myself or with the support of the people around me) has shaped me to be who I am and while I might not like some aspects, I wouldn't change any of it.
Thanks Winthrop, I really do love you :).
Sorry about the lengthy emotional rambling post but I thought it'd be nice to thank my old high school and teachers. MWAH!
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