--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At high school I was never comfortable…" description: "\"“At high school I was never comfortable for a minute. I did not know about Lonnie. Before an exam, she got icy hands and palpitations, but I was close ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alice-munro-1231_blackboard_at-high-school-i-was-never-comfortable-f_2574222.jpg" --- # At high school I was never comfortable for a minute. I did… ![“At high school I was never comfortable for a minute. I did not know about Lonnie. Before an exam, she got icy hands and palpitations, but I was close to despair at all times. When I was asked a question in class, any simple little question at all, my voice was apt to come out squeaky, or else…” quote by Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alice-munro-1231_blackboard_at-high-school-i-was-never-comfortable-f_2574222.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alice-munro-1231_blackboard_at-high-school-i-was-never-comfortable-f_2574222.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/340/alice-munro-1231_blackboard_at-high-school-i-was-never-comfortable-f_2574222.jpg) > ““At high school I was never comfortable for a minute. I did not know about Lonnie. Before an exam, she got icy hands and palpitations, but I was close to despair at all times. When I was asked a question in class, any simple little question at all, my voice was apt to come out squeaky, or else hoarse and trembling. When I had to go to the blackboard I was sure—even at a time of the month when this could not be true—that I had blood on my skirt. My hands became slippery with sweat when they were required to work the blackboard compass. I could not hit the ball in volleyball; being called upon to perform an action in front of others made all my reflexes come undone. I hated Business Practice because you had to rule pages for an account book, using a straight pen, and when the teacher looked over my shoulder all the delicate lines wobbled and ran together. I hated Science; we perched on stools under harsh lights behind tables of unfamiliar, fragile equipment, and were taught by the principal of the school, a man with a cold, self-relishing voice—he read the Scriptures every morning—and a great talent for inflicting humiliation. I hated English because the boys played bingo at the back of the room while the teacher, a stout, gentle girl, slightly cross-eyed, read Wordsworth at the front. She threatened them, she begged them, her face red and her voice as unreliable as mine. They offered burlesqued apologies and when she started to read again they took up rapt postures, made swooning faces, crossed their eyes, flung their hands over their hearts. Sometimes she would burst into tears, there was no help for it, she had to run out into the hall. Then the boys made loud mooing noises; our hungry laughter—oh, mine too—pursued her. There was a carnival atmosphere of brutality in the room at such times, scaring weak and suspect people like me.”” [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes pervasive anxiety and social humiliation in school, highlighting how fear of judgment can cripple everyday actions. **In simple terms:** School anxiety makes simple tasks feel impossible. Key Takeaway Recognize and address underlying anxiety. Themes anxiety social pressure bullying self‑esteem Mood vulnerable reflective Type narrative personal When to use this quote - class presentations - sports - writing assignments - group work - public speaking Key Concepts psychology performance anxiety social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your anxiety in group settings? - How can you create a supportive environment for yourself? 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I draw an arrow from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/on-the-left-side-of-the-blackboard-i-print-a-capital-f-on-the-right/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [That's the amazing thing about life. You can just rub it out, like a blackboard, and start again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/that-s-the-amazing-thing-about-life-you-can-just-rub-it-out-like-a/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [“In the chalky trough under the blackboard are lessons dusted and already forgotten. The teacher is squawking away once more, scratching into the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-mccaffery/in-the-chalky-trough-under-the-blackboard-are-lessons-dusted-and/) [Richie McCaffery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-mccaffery/) > [The principle factor in my success has been an absolute desire to draw constantly. I never decided to be an artist. Simply, I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winsor-mccay/the-principle-factor-in-my-success-has-been-an-absolute-desire-to/) [Winsor McCay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winsor-mccay/) > [It sounded like a piece of blackboard being dragged over the nails of a wall of severed fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-sounded-like-a-piece-of-blackboard-being-dragged-over-the-nails-of/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When I was in school, I was too short to erase the blackboard. It was my job to put away the chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-yulin-cruz/when-i-was-in-school-i-was-too-short-to-erase-the-blackboard-it-was/) [Carmen Yulin Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-yulin-cruz/) > [I am not fully forgiven until I allow God to write his new dream for my life on the blackboard of my mind. ..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/i-am-not-fully-forgiven-until-i-allow-god-to-write-his-new-dream-for/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [Clouds are poems, and the most moving poems linger on the blackboard so long, written in cursive so lovely, they also exist inside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/clouds-are-poems-and-the-most-moving-poems-linger-on-the-blackboard/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [Where is the sound?" someone hastily scribbled on the blackboard, and they all waited anxiously for the reply. 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It's nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/the-thing-is-to-be-happy-no-matter-what-just-try-that-you-can-it-gets/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [What she wants to do if she can get the time to do it, is not so much to live in the past as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/what-she-wants-to-do-if-she-can-get-the-time-to-do-it-is-not-so-much/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Children Katy's age had no problem with monotony. In fact they embraced it, diving into it and wrapping the familiar words round their tongues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/children-katy-s-age-had-no-problem-with-monotony-in-fact-they/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“This is what happens. You put it away for a little while, and now and again you look in the closet for something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/this-is-what-happens-you-put-it-away-for-a-little-while-and-now-and/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [She sits in her usual ample armchair, with piles of books and unopened magazines around her. She sips cautiously from the mug of weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-sits-in-her-usual-ample-armchair-with-piles-of-books-and-unopened/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [The images, the language, of pornography, and romance are alike; monotonous and mechanically seductive, quickly leading to despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/the-images-the-language-of-pornography-and-romance-are-alike/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I was a grade B housewife, maybe a B minus. But when I got time to write, I would be unable to finish a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/i-was-a-grade-b-housewife-maybe-a-b-minus-but-when-i-got-time-to/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [She would live now, not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-would-live-now-not-read/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“You would think as you get older your mind would fill up with what they call the spiritual side of things, but mine just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/you-would-think-as-you-get-older-your-mind-would-fill-up-with-what/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Peoples lives, in Jubilee as elsewhere, were dull, simple, amazing, unfathomable-deep caves paved with kitchen linoleum. . . . What I wanted \[to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/peoples-lives-in-jubilee-as-elsewhere-were-dull-simple-amazing/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) [Explore all 261 Alice Munro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## More Blackboard quotes > [I was trouble - and always in trouble. Aged eight I still couldn't read. In fact, I was dyslexic and short-sighted. 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He died learning to walk. He died standing at the blackboard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-death-of-leopold-gursky-leopold-gursky-started-dying-on-august-18/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“When I was teaching children I began every day writing this on the blackboard: "Do to others what you would like them to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common-sense/when-i-was-teaching-children-i-began-every-day-writing-this-on-the/) [Common Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common-sense/) > [Where is the sound?" someone hastily scribbled on the blackboard, and they all waited anxiously for the reply. Milo caught his breath, picked up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/where-is-the-sound-someone-hastily-scribbled-on-the-blackboard-and/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) [Browse all 55 Blackboard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackboard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At high school I was never comfortable for a minute. I did not know about Lonnie. Before an exam, she got icy hands and palpitations, but I was close to despair at all times. When I was asked a question in class, any simple little question at all, my voice was apt to come out squeaky, or else hoarse and trembling. When I had to go to the blackboard I was sure—even at a time of the month when this could not be true—that I had blood on my skirt. My hands became slippery with sweat when they were required to work the blackboard compass. I could not hit the ball in volleyball; being called upon to perform an action in front of others made all my reflexes come undone. I hated Business Practice because you had to rule pages for an account book, using a straight pen, and when the teacher looked over my shoulder all the delicate lines wobbled and ran together. I hated Science; we perched on stools under harsh lights behind tables of unfamiliar, fragile equipment, and were taught by the principal of the school, a man with a cold, self-relishing voice—he read the Scriptures every morning—and a great talent for inflicting humiliation. I hated English because the boys played bingo at the back of the room while the teacher, a stout, gentle girl, slightly cross-eyed, read Wordsworth at the front. She threatened them, she begged them, her face red and her voice as unreliable as mine. They offered burlesqued apologies and when she started to read again they took up rapt postures, made swooning faces, crossed their eyes, flung their hands over their hearts. Sometimes she would burst into tears, there was no help for it, she had to run out into the hall. Then the boys made loud mooing noises; our hungry laughter—oh, mine too—pursued her. 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