Читать книгу The Story of Rosemary Buttons - Gregory J. McKenzie - Страница 4

It seemed to take forever for Rosemary to get out of her childhood stage. She went off to school at the local Catholic Primary, then did all the things a young schoolgirl would do with her classmates. Soon those classmates appreciated what a gem this girl they all nicknamed 'Ro' was. She always seemed to calm down any tense situation. Her teaches also noticed this about little Rosemary. She became a much cherished 'Bin monitor' before reaching the high status of 'Hall monitor' in her final year at primary school. In all that time she did not report one student to the Principal for any infringement of school rules. But the bins under her watch were never messy and the hall she watched over was quiet.

At home Rosemary continued to step between her brothers when their fights go too serious. She seemed to be able to calm any family dispute. Her father found peace in just being with his daughter. A strong bond developed between them that would stand the test of time. Rosemary was happy on her twelfth birthday. Her whole extended family turned up to Rosemary's birthday party in the park. The family called her Rose's daughter until she was too old to deserve that appellation.

High school is nothing like primary school. For a start Rosemary had to travel a fair distance to get to this new school. It was not just down the street and around the corner like her former school. Then she had to say goodbye to school friends she had spent the last seven years getting to know. Now it was new school with new friends that swamped her daily life. Those who remember their high school days will know that the comfort zone can shift quickly. Rosemary went from a group that cared greatly for her safety and peace of mind to a less friendly environment. It did not help that Rosemary was such a pretty teenager. Girls of that young age find it hard to make friends if there is any jealousy about the way they all look.

Through all these trials, Rosemary remained outwardly calm. Some mistook this for meekness and even low intelligence. Rosemary was fierce in her defense of her family and as intelligent as the brightest girl in her class. Some perceptive teachers noticed that when Rosemary entered a classroom it was like a calming breeze had blown across the room. Yet not all teachers appreciated this about Rosemary. Some class mates positively hated her for not being as aggro as they were and for not being a stirrer. With social media such a part of any teenager's life the inevitable happened. Trolls are a plague on any social media and they are insidious. Rosemary was to suffer like a lot of teenagers of her age.

Yet her high school experience started with a lot of promise for the future education of this remarkably calm young girl. In Year Seven there was Grandparents Day for Rosemary to show off her strong family ties. Both Grandmother Rose and Grandmother Mary turned up dragging their husbands along to be gawked at by twelve and thirteen year old girls. Rosemary's teacher saw the family resemblances in all their faces. Her Form mistress was pleased to see that this student, whom she knew had no mother, had such support from her grandparents. From their experience they knew that family support was vital for teenage girls, particularly in their early years.

Even Year Eight posed no real problems at school for Rosemary. She picked up classmates easily. There were sleep overs at her house, where her brothers were teased ruthlessly by Rosemary's friends. Then there were parties at their houses, where Rosemary experienced the tyranny of older sisters as well as the annoying pranks of younger siblings. All in all ,Rosemary enjoyed her first two years at her all girls high school. The literacy and numeracy results from her country's nationwide exams were not startling but neither were they disappointing.

It was not until Year Nine that real problems arose at schoool for Rosemary.