Patti Burkhardt:  

Life After high school I moved with my family to New Orleans, attended LSU, got married, moved to Florida, had a child, got a second degree at the University of Florida, got divorced, moved to South Florida and recently got married after 20 years. School Gosh, I cannot remember the teacher that I had for Government class but... I remember opting for an A and having to get up in front of the class to give a report on how the Supreme Court decides on pornography cases. I had done my research, had the information all mapped out on 3 x 5 cards, thought I was ready but had no experience dealing with 25 pairs of eyes staring at me... I remember dropping the cards all over the floor within the first minute, scrambling behind the podium. Unable to piece together the sequence of the cards, I decided to wing it-- big mistake. When I realized my every word, my every movement was being carefully scrutinized by my peers I suffered paralyzing stage fright. I began mubbling and staring upward, counting the ceiling tiles, and praying no one was really paying attention. When the teacher interrrupted my babbling, told me I was "wasting classtime" to please "have a seat", I could "try again tomorrow", I returned to my desk devastated, red from the neck up, moving in strange robotic stiffness. The class was as embarrassed for me as I was for myself. A few classmates bliurted out harsh responses to the teacher's handling of the mishap.They were quickly dismissed by the teacher, "come on, she was babbling, wasting our time." The next day after a little coaching from my mother I returned with new set of 'spiral' 3 X 5 cards and a new attitude. I held ...Expand for more