Two Childhood Memories

I wrote these two childhood memories for an English class:


I have a couple of very vivid childhood memories. Both are about embarrassing things that happened to me at school.

First of all, let me tell you that my father used to be a dentist.

One day, when I was 6 years old, I was sitting in class listening to my teacher.  She was reading us a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Suddenly Mrs Ford, another teacher who taught the older children, came rushing into our classroom.  She was a big, loud woman who used to shout a lot and pinch our ears and I was very scared of her.  She said in a loud voice, "I want Myburgh!"  Myburgh was my surname. Then she grabbed me by the arm and walked me out of the classroom and down the school corridor. I was terrified.  I didn't know what was going to happen. Maybe I had done something wrong and she was going to pinch my ear!

But she didn't.  She walked me to her classroom and made me stand in front of all the children.  Everyone was looking at me.  I didn’t know where to look so I looked down at my feet.  Then she said, "Myburgh, open your mouth and show them your teeth!"   So I did. What else was I to do?   Then she said  "Students, look at his teeth.  These are the teeth of a dentist's son.   Look how they sparkle and shine!  You too can have teeth like this if you look after them."  Then she said "Thank you Myburgh - you can go back to your class now."   I ran out of the classroom, wishing that my dad was an engineer or a business man or fireman - anything but a dentist.

My second memory happened when I was seven years old.  I had to have an operation on my legs.  I went into hospital and came out with my legs in plaster paris.  I could not walk for 6 weeks and had to move around in a wheel chair.  When I was in class, I could not walk to the toilet.  So I used to pee in a bottle in class. Then, when I was finished, the bottle would be put on the floor beside me.

As soon as the bottle was on the floor, my teacher would start to watch the students carefully.  She was looking for someone who was or had been naughty.  Then she would say "Right, Patrick, you haven't done your homework."  Or "Nicky, you're talking in class."  - "Go to the toilet and empty out the bottle!"  They would come over to me and take the bottle and look at me as if it was all my fault.   So for 6 long weeks, I was the class punishment.

So those are my two vivid memories.  I have many happy memories but these are two memories I wouldn't mind forgetting.  Except that they make good stories at dinner parties.