Being in a Catholic school has been a big part of my life. I was in one from fourth grade all the way to senior year in high school. Many people like to make assumptions of what we are like, and many of them think that all we do is pray. That is not true at all. Being in a Catholic school has really helped shape my character and the person I am today. There are some rather funny things that come along with being in a Catholic school. First of all, lets talk about Ash Wednesday! No, it is not dirt on my forehead. Every single lent season and Ash Wednesday I would get asked if I had dirt on my forehead. I thought it was funny because I always fell for it and tried to wipe it off on accident. Another thing that comes to mind is that a lot of people think that we are taught by nuns, which is true for some schools, but they are not all like that. We have normal teachers like any other school. Something that was always different was that we had Easter break and it was usually never around the spring break of other schools. Something that came to mind was when plaid was a trend. Well, it was never a trend for us because we had to wear it everyday. It really became a staple in our wardrobe. A lot of times people thought it was cool because our uniform resembled the ones worn by the leading ladies on "Gossip Girl." I will also never forget always wearing boat shows. They were the biggest trend and everybody had them. The one thing I can really appreciate about having to wear a uniform was not having to think and worry about what I was going to wear the next day.
A really big shocker for me coming from a Catholic school was entering college. You are filled with so many different ideas and points of view of other people that you really did not know about before. It really opened my eyes to see that there are people that do no think the same way I do. I think that this has really been key for me because you learn how to treat people in a loving way and respect that they have different thoughts and ideas. Another big shocker was that I had to actually plan out what I had to wear. The best part was that I did not have to wear a skirt when it was cold outside, I could wear pants! It is really interesting to think back on how your schooling has influenced the way you view things and how you analyze them. I also think it is really cool to see how we can all come from the same generation, but have completely different mind sets and different ways of perceiving the world and the people around us. For me, it was a great experience growing up as a Catholic school student because it has taught me a lot about myself and to treat others in a loving and respectful way.
