Back to School

The story of my father Thomas James Arcala Sr was that he was a very intelligent child.  He attended Catholic school and as young as kindergarten, he had a snarky comment about his school teacher.  He came home, complaining he hated school.  When my grandmother Lenore Arcala (Barron) asked him why, his response was, "My teacher asks too many questions.  She's the teacher.  She should know the answers," to which he put my grandmother in a roaring laugh.

My father was best with numbers, so I could only imagine mathematics was his best subject.  He could add, multiply, subtract, and divide in his head.  He always knew exactly how much change he should get back as well as budget his expenses.

However, my father would talk about his coloring and drawing skills, which I had never seen.  He did not draw or color when I was a kid, but he claimed he won a coloring contest and would give me advice on how to make my drawings and coloring better.

My mother Cha Kyong-Ja attended an all-girls school and told me she hated school and began ditching at a very young age.  My mother's fond memories of school was when she was involved in marathons in Track and Field.  She said she and her siblings were all runners and they all won awards for their school.

Like my mother, I hated school.  I did excel in English and literature, comprehension and vocabulary.  I enjoyed reading and began reading at three years old.  It was always a treat to go to the library and check out books.  In my younger years of elementary school, I enjoyed reading books about "Amelia Bedelia" and "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle." Toward my later years in elementary school, I enjoyed biographies and read about Johnny Appleseed, Cleopatra, Helen Keller, and Laura Ingalls Wilder.

In intermediate school, I still enjoyed literature, and disliked school.  I still enjoyed biographies and stories about kids around my age, such as Anne of Green Gables, The Diary of Anne Frank, Huckleberry Finn, and The Outsiders.

It was around that age, I began writing poetry.  I wrote lots of poetry the summer before eighth grade.  I would write novels of teen romance that I would eventually cut up and throw away.

In high school, I excelled in arts as well as  English.  Art was my calling, all kinds of art.  I still loved English and found myself consumed in biographies about serial killers and pop culture celebrities.

As a 40-something year old woman, who still dislikes school, I have an obsession with history.  I especially love learning about different cultures and, of course, surnames.