From the back of the gym I could barely see the paddle that she brandished, but I would soon get a closer look. My second grade class was coed, with boys sitting on one side of the room and girls sitting on the other. My own seat was near the front of the room, with only one girl in front of me. We were a fairly well behaved group, but one boy, Patrick, just couldn’t stay in his seat. He was scolded, he was made to stand in the corner, and still he couldn’t resist getting up to peer out the window. By the third week, Mother Mary Agnes called in the principal. In a routine that would soon become familiar, Mother Frances ordered Patrick to come to the front of the room.
Catholic School in New England3
