What were you doing on the elementary school playground?

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At Infants school, when I was aged 4-7, I remember playing with some of the other girls in my class, but every single day they would always play horses, and I grew bored of playing horses all the time, so I switched to somebody else, but they always liked playing with the skipping ropes, and I never could be able to skip properly, so I found games to play on my own. I didn't really like playing on my own much, but at that age it was easier to just throw yourself into other people's games, and vice versa, without being rejected. I remember I was playing rabbits on my own, and two random little boys came upto me and wanted to play too, so I explained that I was a rabbit, and they too joined in being rabbits, and it was fun.

I sat at the edge of the playground and read. Pretty much exclusively.

Sat in a corner of the playground alone, writing, drawing or reading. Sometimes I'd sleep until the bell rang to signal that we had to go back inside. I also spent a lot of time being bullied unfortunately. I rarely played with other kids because they always had to teach me what to do. I guess they found it frustrating trying to play with somebody who didn't know how to do pretend play properly. I did have friendships, but not many. One friend was a boy who made up a game with me where we'd run into walls and see who could run into it the hardest.

first grade all the way to third grade i think, there was a long hold in the ground, like a tunnel, about a few feet long, with a pole stuck above it that served as a bridge. i walked that all recess long, back and forth, or walked back and forth in the backyard, flapping my fingers. every once in a blue moon i played with other kids.
later i started staying in the classroom, not really knowing what to do and trying to find things to do but usually not talking to the others. as a teenager i talked to other teens during breaktime, on slight occasions.

I played kickball with the boys. I was the only girl and I loved it. The girls played hopscotch and jumproped and I thought that was incredibly lame.

Being baited by teachers and students biting and than being caned for my misdemeanors up to 3 times on each hand. Back even further up to the 50's apparently people got caned for being "lazy" stupid" or "slow" thankfully I was spared that humiliation the schools where quite happy to just let me fail!

And no I did not grow up in Singapore or Saudi Arabia but Australia yes you read correctly Australia.



Naturally I appose all forms of corporal punishment only a sick minded conservative would have such strange views (quite possibly Texan) . It doesn't solve anything "real world" actually if I had been give a gun (real world) I'd done a Columbine one scumb bag at time bang bang your dead .

I can even sympathises with those "killers" sadly not a a lesson has been learned as Homer Simpson would say in his glazed over eyes Marge I have not learned a thing same ol same ol I suppose....

Early grades: I was in my own little parallel universe. I pretended that different landmarks on the playground were places in my imaginary world...my imagination was very vivid at this time. I created cities in the playground sand.

Later grades: I sat in the same place every day by the fence, listening to music or drawing. I also played with kids from the younger grades (grades 1-3) because I found older kids too confusing, complex and intimidating.

Following the supervising teacher around reciting my multiplication tables, or eating leaves. Seriously, no one thought that was a little odd?!

I walked around in circles or sat on the parallel bars. I also ate some of the plants around the playground.

I usually avoided the playground/canteen and sought refuge in the library because we weren't allowed to stay in class during breaks. I was usually the only student in the library.

Occasionally when someone did come into the library, I would stay in the toilet cubicles.

Always sitting by myself with the other kids alternating between studiously ignoring me and using me as a verbal puching bag.

Up until I was 6 or 7 half getting along with people and half being on my own doing my own thing. It wasn't really until I was 8 that I really started pulling away when something happened and by the time I was 12 I was totally on my own and isolated, maybe due in part not wanting to trust anyone ever again or maybe because I was different.