My mom always said that she hated school. She was sent to Catholic School and didn’t care for the strictness of the nuns. Yet, my mom was the first one in her family to graduate and she went on to be a successful secretary, bookkeeper, and office manager. So, she must have have learned something along the way.
A Little About St. Anthony’s School
St. Anthony’s was the Catholic elementary school that served the neighborhood in Oakland, CA where both my parents grew up. It’s how my mom met my dad’s brother, Eugene. And, because of their friendship, she met my dad years later. Mom and Eugene were in the same grade though they weren’t the same age. Eugene was held back a couple of times.
According to my cousin, Bobbie Souza, St. Anthony’s had no kindergarten until decades later. When my mom attended, it ran from 1st through 8th grade.
As kindergarten was recommended in the San Francisco Bay Area by the 1920s, some kids went to a public school kindergarten, then transferred to a Catholic School for 1st grade.
I have no proof that my mom did so. Of all the questions I thought to ask her, this wasn’t one of them.
Her 8th Grade Report Card
My mom’s parents divorced when she was 9. She and her mom moved around a few times until she was in high school. So, she didn’t have a very stable home environment for learning.
Because of all this moving around, my mom didn’t save much from her childhood. And, a flood in her aunt’s basement where they had things stored after the divorce, washed away many mementos.
That brings us to eighth grade. That is the only report card she saved. It’s the last one she received from St. Anthony’s.
It seems in 8th grade there was a focus on writing, grammar, spelling, and using proper English (written and oral). However, they didn’t study history, civics, or geography.
Let’s see how my mom did. Just what kind of student was my “school hating” mom?
Turns out, she was a pretty darn good one. Mostly A and B grades. According to her report card, she was never tardy and never absent. I think that’s striking considering how unsettled her family life was.
The back of the report shows that my grandmother saw and signed it. My mom was promoted to 9th grade.
And, just in case you needed proof, here’s her 8th grade diploma. It was on to Holy Names High School from here.
Just One More Observation
At first glance, I thought my mom had written out this report card because the handwriting looks just like hers.
Sister Mary Aurelia had similar handwriting to my mom. So, we can assume this was the style taught at St. Anthony’s. Either that or my mom learned to forge the Sister’s handwriting. Perhaps to write out notes excusing her absences and tardiness.
I remembered my mom saying that throughout school the teachers stressed perfect penmanship. Her 2nd grade teacher complained that hers was too sloppy. She worked really hard to improve it and earned a certificate at the end of the year. She had beautiful penmanship all her life.
So, there you have it. My mom excelled as a student despite her claim that she disliked school. She made it to 12th grade and she graduated high school. That’s something neither her parents or grandparents had done. Well done, Mom!
How did your parents do in school? Tell us in the comments.
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This was written for Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Week 12: School Days.
Sounds very much like my mother’s school days at St. Mary’s (now St. Leander’s). She started going to school with her older sister during the depression so her mother could work. She saved the holy cards she received from the nuns starting at age 3 for good behavior. Mom and I talked about why her family, who was always so tight for money, would send all their children to Catholic school and spend on tuition and they all hated going! Go figure.
Love your column❤️
I, too, attended public kindergarten before attending St. Peter Martyr School in Pittsburg. We moved while I was in third grade, and since my parents bought a house, they couldn’t afford Catholic school anymore. I remember the penmanship classes. However, the public school’s method was different and I had to relearn how to write. Loved your story. I think someone could hate school and still do well–my husband was like that and he’s really smart. He was probably bored in school.