School and Learning

School and Learning.

My first school was Saint Michaels Primary school at Daceyville. It was a Catholic convent school staffed and run by The Sacred Heart Nuns it accepted boys to sixth class and the girls could continue on to Commercial classes which probably ran to the equivalent to fourth or fifth year. It was mixed sexes for all classes, bubs to sixth class with girls only after sixth class. The nuns resided in a large convent adjoining the school grounds. They wore ankle length black habits with white wimples.

The habit seemed to consist of a number of skirts or under garments because it appeared to be quite thick. Around their waists they had two thick blue waist bands made of woven cords and to the waist bands hung a very large set of rosary beads. The beads were similar in size and shape to olives and were made of wood fixed to a metal chain. The crucifix of the rosary had an upright stem of about 15 centimetres and was pushed into the blue cords on the right hand side of the waist band. The lower end of the rosary beads hung to just above the ankle.

The first year at school was almost uneventful as I was in the “Bubs” class for a few months and then elevated to “Kindergarten” and a little later into the serious business of learning. The nuns that supervised the bubs and kindergarten were kindly, compassionate and ideal for caring for children of such a tender age. The Bubs and Kindergarten were confined to pre-school activities such as playing with plasticine, chalk or crayons and paper folding, but of course the main purpose was early religious indoctrination by means of bible stories and stories of catholic saints and praying. This was the ideal time to learn that The Roman Catholic religion was the only true r...

... middle of paper ...

... for about thirty or so years, I think my years at St. Michaels convent school was the beginning of my realising that the catholic church and Christian values and compassion are worlds apart. It was also impossible for me to accept the three main concepts of Christian religion, such as: the Virgin birth, the Resurrection and Noah's Ark. These combined with the teaching of Creation set me in the direction of atheism. I prefer to label myself as an agnostic Christian. I do not believe in a God, but I try to follow some of the teachings of the man known as Jesus Christ. As for Heaven and Hell, they are to be found on this planet, and can only be experienced while one is alive. There is nothing after death. No amount of money given to evangelical preachers will change this. Donations and fees do nothing other than provide a bit of heaven, here on earth, for the preacher.