In looking through the photographs yesterday I came across my first school reports. From Kindergarten when I was three years old! Quite novel and indicative of what a "good girl" I was which is a disability our society inflicts upon our girl children so that we are quiet and helpful and dutiful.
These reports are from the Far East where we lived for a year or so and therefore are in Chinese characters as well as English.
First term
Age: Three years three months
Class: Nursery One
Attendance: 63/64
General Knowledge: Good
Co-operation: Can be helpful when asked to do so
Emotional Control: Tends to cry at the slightest bit of hurt
Concentration: Fairly good
Initiative: Good
Manners (politeness): Good
Self-dependence: Takes very good care of herself
Cleanliness: Fairly good
Music (Singing): Can sing quite well but tends to be inaudible
Art: Fairly good
Handwork: Good
Conduct: A good and quiet girl - often times with a cheerful smile
Second term
Age: Three years seven months
Class: Nursery One
Attendance: 58/70
General Knowledge: An intelligent girl
Co-operation: Has learnt to co-operate better this term
Emotional Control: Still tend to cry but less often
Concentration: Good
Initiative: Average
Manners (politeness): Quite good
Self-dependence: Takes good care of herself
Cleanliness: Average
Music (Singing): Can sing quite well
Art: Good
Handwork: Good
Conduct: A good and quiet girl
Third term
Age: Three years ten months
Class: Nursery One
Attendance: 55/61
General Knowledge: An intelligent girl
Co-operation: A very helpful girl
Emotional Control: Has hardly cried this term
Concentration: More attentive this term
Initiative: Can take the lead when called upon
Manners (politeness): A polite girl
Self-dependence: Good
Cleanliness: Keeps clean throughout the day
Music (Singing): Marked improvement (Can sing almost all the songs and very clearly too.)
Art: Made some progress
Handwork: Better work
Conduct: A good and well-behaved girl
And that was my first year of education. I learned to cry less though those descriptions pretty much sums up me as an adult - sometimes I cry easily and sometimes I'm as hard as old boots!
This was the same Kindergarten that my 4 year old brother was expelled from - he says it was defending me but it was for beating up one of the local kids.
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The comments about crying are mad, for god's sake you WERE a baby....
Its great to have them.
Monday, August 22, 2005 12:18:00 PM
As in, its great to have reports from when you were so young...
Monday, August 22, 2005 12:21:00 PM
Yes it is great to have these school reports but they would never dream of "reporting" on such things these days and in this formal way. I have nearly all my school reports which are "fantastic" until my rapid demise in the later part of secondary school. I think some of the comments in those are very funny - but daren't re-read them just yet or I'll get diverted.
Monday, August 22, 2005 12:59:00 PM
Flippin' 'eck Doris - your brother was the lucky one.
I really dislike the way they stress quietness and your gender when appraising conduct. Creeepy.
So the ideal for this school was a quiet, obedient, quiet, biddable girl, who was QUIET and could take a knocking without showing emotion. Mr Pumpkin Eater in charge, by any chance?
Monday, August 22, 2005 1:58:00 PM
Oh, you were a good little girl. I made good grades in academics but usually got U = Unsatisfactory in conduct because I talked all the time. Some things never change :-)
Monday, August 22, 2005 3:29:00 PM
Those are some of the best politically uncorrect phrases I've seen in such a long time. I worked almost six years in daycare and would never have been allowed to say something so forthright about my 3 year olds.
Thank you for aiding and abetting my old-fashioned perspective.
Monday, August 22, 2005 7:47:00 PM
Wonderful..
I grew up in the Far East as well, and have some of my reports but only from primary school, not nursery.
What amazes me is how accurate a reflection your report is of the attitude towards women then.
Minerva
Monday, August 22, 2005 8:29:00 PM
So much nicer than ticking certain boxes or picking set phrases for each student. I daren't look back on mine because I know I'm still the same - must pay more attention to detail.
Monday, August 22, 2005 8:33:00 PM
Oh Doris ... I have my report cards too, but we didn't start school till we were 5 years old though it was still called kindergarten.
I haven't looked at mine in years ... I'd be almost afraid to now. :O
BTW -- How did you get that nifty spam blocker code for this page Doris? Is it a Blogger thing? Or is it something else? I don't believe I've seen it offered anywhere when looking for stuff for my blog. Thanks.
Monday, August 22, 2005 11:20:00 PM
awwwww you were sooo such a cute little girl. i bet you're a beauty now that you're a grown woman too.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005 5:11:00 AM
Jane No Jane! It doesn't work like that. I've noticed that the ugliest of old people were probably very cute little ones. In fact it helps me when I see an objectionable old person to think they were once a really cute kid that someone would love!
Mama Mouse Thanks to Jane I found the word verification thingy! In Jane's own words "Go to your Settings, then Comments, then Show word Verification for Comments? and click YES! I found out from reading another blog. It's supposed to stop the bots."
Universal Soldier LOL because that report was full of set phrases of the "good little girl" type!!! Very funny because you said in your own reports it was a case of must pay more attention to detail!! I'm not sure if I have visited your blog before and look forward to it.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005 8:51:00 AM
Good and quiet, I was like that. I'm sure I'd have had more fun if I'd had made more noise!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005 2:42:00 PM
How wonderful to be able to see yourself at that age. (Our house burned down when I was a kid and all that sort of stuff was lost)
My dd was just talking about her years in public school and if she had known how much she could have gotten away with, she wouldn't have been that goody two shoes lol... glad she didn't know.
shirley
Tuesday, August 23, 2005 5:20:00 PM
Glad to see your singing showed a marked improvement. The cleanliness report is worrying though. My final French report read, "I hear that he opens the batting for the first XI."
Wednesday, August 24, 2005 12:40:00 AM
You were only 3 years old! Wow, great report for someone who is so young. Your brother sounded like a real hoot!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005 4:26:00 AM
Cutie Pie!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005 6:39:00 AM
My son had a comment on a report a couple of years back, saying that he was 'childish'! Um, excuse me, but he was only 11 at the time! My Mum actually has a primary school report describing her as backward! Considering all she does and has done, it's ludicrous!
Friday, August 26, 2005 1:02:00 PM
Aww! I hate school reports like that .... where's the essence of you? Where's the little Doris? Where does it say what you really liked best about school? Who your friends were? However love the dress! Mine always said I was too chatty ..... no change there then!
Saturday, August 27, 2005 12:01:00 PM