Show and Tell

Since I never had the courage to have children I don’t know if Show and Tell still exists in Elementary School. If it does I feel pretty confident that some semblance of oversight is in place unlike the good old days!

It was during one of our family trips that I found, on the plane, hiding behind the airline evacuation emergency instructions, a comic book! It was a Japanese comic book! I showed my parents the treasure I had found. My father explained to me that in Japanese, when reading text, it was read left to right and back to front. I decided, in that moment, that I was going to share this unusual find at show and tell. I was in second grade. Mrs. Gorovsky was my teacher. She made sure that all of us participated in a robust show and tell. It was fun, exhilarating and a great opportunity to hone those (in hindsight) public speaking skills!

I was so excited about my find on the plane that I decided, on the spot to make this the subject of my show and tell.

I shared my find with the class. Everyone was captivated by the Japanese text and the images. I felt so proud that I had introduced something that no one had ever seen. A comic book written in Japanese! I felt like a rock star!

The comic book was passed around the room. The last person to view my find was Mrs. Gorovsky. I was disappointed that she was not as thrilled as I was about my presentation.

Several days later I recall my mother bursting into my room demanding to see the comic book. I was confused by her agitation. I told her it was in my closet. She opened the closet door, grabbed the comic book and insisted it belonged in the trash. I was confused. I was begging her not to dispose of it since it was such a source of pride and joy for me. I did not understand the urgency to dispose of it until years later when my mother disclosed to me that it was a pornographic comic book. The main characters were men with big talking penises!!!! They were happy to show and tell, but my mother was horrified that I had shared the comic book with my second grade class. My mother and Mrs. Gorovsky had an interesting chat about my find! My mother was horrified that she had not properly vetted what i was to share with the class that day. It was not the only time she failed to vet the subject of my show and tell. I recall stealthily shooting out the door, to catch the bus, donning the wooden shoes my father had bought me in Holland. Another proud moment of sharing my strange and quirky acquisitions!!!