 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
  |
Published
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
St. Patrick bestowed an educational legacy By James Brodell When I was a kid, I got St. Patrick's day off because I went to a Catholic elementary school that carried the saint's name. That was among the best parts. On the downside were the Sisters of Charity who taught at the school. When it came to deportment, their charity seemed to be in short supply. Today, of course, the ACLU and the local police would raid the place when they heard of the corporal punishment being inflicted. I remember Sister Mary Monica who sported an 18-inch steel ruler. She believed in original sin and communal guilt. When one student misbehaved slightly, she lined up the entire class to pass in review while she left marks on their hands. This type of punishment was one reason the nuns could handle a class of 55 students, all of whom with their hands folded with eyes front. They also had God on their side, witnessed by the crucifix hanging above the blackboard. Every student stood up to answer questions or to make a comment. Slouching was to court doom. Sunday Mass was obligatory, as was the essay due the next Monday summarizing the priest's sermon. Only once did a student utter in my hearing the phrase that would bring down thunder, lightning, intense pain and a flirtation with stigmata: “Sister, I'm sorry I do not have my homework.” The homework always was either long division or diagramming complex sentences. Then there was the push to begin the fifth graders on the route to a religious vocation.Various priests and brothers visited to talk about the joys of their particular order. Those who became an altar boy were treated more kindly. Girls, of course, were not included in this extra curricular activity. In fact, the girls frequently were singled out for failures of wardrobe. One sixth grader was humiliated in front of the entire class because she wore a sleeveless blouse. After all, this was 1954. That same year we all were informed that the Senate effort to censor Sen. Joseph McCarthy was a Protestant plot against the Catholic politician, who gave his name to a shameful era in America. There was little local political discussion even though there were sons and daughters of mayors and police officials, the Jersey City Irish mafia, sprinkled in the student body. Students today might be surprised to know there was no study hall and no recess. The lessons were not diverse. Religion and catechism filled the morning along with math. Grammar filled the afternoons. Science hardly ever was addressed. But we did get March 17 off. ------------------- Editor's note: Mr. Brodell, founder and long-time editor of A.M. Costa Rica, can be reached at: jay@amcostarica.com |
        |
 |
Relocation
Tours
(paid
category)
|
|||||||
|
U.S.
Income Tax & Accounting
(paid category)
|
|||||||
 |
•
Reporting foreign financial assets: FBAR and
foreign corporations.
• Up-to-date FATCA news.
• All US Tax return preparation:
individual, business, estate and trust.
• eFile returns: secure with faster refunds.
• Business
consulting to facilitate working in Costa Rica
|
||||||
Real
Estate Agents & Services
(paid category)
|
|||||||
 |
Link
to Playas del Coco listings page HERE
Link to Playa Panama listings page HERE Link to Playa Hermosa listings page HERE Link to Peninsula Papagayo listings page HERE Link to Playa Matapalo listings page HERE Free tour to A.M. Costa
Rica's readers
CR office phone: 506 - 2672-0707 CR cell phone: 506-8867-6929 Toll Free 1-877-293-1456 Email: michael@costarica-realestate.com Code:9174-020719 |
||||||
Shipping
Services
(paid category)
Household
Furnishings
(paid category)
|
|||||||
 |
  |
