I Hated My Gym Teacher

I suppose it wasn’t really her fault. Well, I can say that now, but at the time I could barely look her in the eye. 

I had just turned 12 and started the seventh grade, my first year of what was then known as Junior High. There were lots of terrifying firsts for a shy girl with braces and cat eye glasses (furtively removed to “look nice” for the photo above). 

But there was no hiding in gym class. My pancake flat chest certainly didn’t need a bra for support, and I could cover up pretty well when getting out of my school dress and into the awkward regulation one piece gym suit with snaps down the front. But after class came the shower.

Our teacher stood at the entrance of the communal shower room with a clipboard and checked off our names as we entered, clutching nothing but the tiniest of towels, the only thing we were allowed to take in with us. 

It was always a puzzle to me which part of my body I should try to cover with that woefully inadequate scrap of thin, rough terry cloth. If I tried to hide my flat chest, then what about everything else? There was just no way to cover all the parts I wanted to cover. 

Shower heads were spaced out along all four walls. Once inside, we were required to relinquish even the tiny towel, hang it on a hook, and take a full body shower in front of the whole class and the teacher. 

I have no idea if my gym teacher had the slightest inkling about her role in my misery. She just nodded her head and checked off my name as I passed by. I endured that hated ritual each and every day of junior high, yet I suffered in silence, never saying a word about it to anyone. However mortified I was, talking about it or asking for help seemed even more overwhelming.

I realize now that some kids speak up loudly and openly when facing a problem, while others go quiet. What about the kids in your life? Are they likely to speak out or keep quiet? 

If you have a quiet one, please remember it doesn’t mean they aren’t in distress. Ask gently in a private moment. Don’t pry, but let them know you care and are there for them when they want to talk. Just knowing that can make all the difference, whether they find a way to confide in you just yet or not.

Here’s to more resilient wins at home and school,

Anne