The school was surrounded by seemingly-endless fields of wheat, oats and barley and seemed marooned! Certainly it was unimpressive compared with our earlier school in Moortown, Ardboe. I felt that here, at last was something I could brag about! Up to now Canada’s vastness had dwarfed anything in my experience.

The most important lesson I learned in this school did not come from textbooks. I was taken aback when the first thing the scholars did in the morning was to stand and recite The Lord’s Prayer. I had always thought the Our Father was the exclusive rights of Catholics. Also this was the first time I had heard it by anyone who was not on his/her knees. Nor did the class Make the Sign of The Cross – nor say the Hail Mary. For the first few mornings – out of habit – I crossed myself at the commencement of the Pater Noster, but as the gesture attracted unwelcome attention from my fellow students, I quickly gave it up.

Miss Munroe was young and this was her first school. She asked me what grade I was in Ireland but I told her we didn’t have grades in Ireland. At this solemn pronouncement every head in the room turned as if to say:

‘What? No grades in Ireland?’

It could have been my Irish accent that attracted attention. I went on to explain that in Ireland we went by forms and that I would have then been starting fourth form.

I felt important as I stood up to make this little speech! It was the first time of my life that I was temporarily the centre of attention and I enjoyed it. I felt I was contributing to the class’s general knowledge –and especially to that of the teacher. 

She admitted that she had no clue what fourth form meant but I seemed smart and she would start me off in fourth grade. I didn’t know what ‘clue’ meant but hers’ seemed to me a wise decision.

 I knew Miss Munroe and I would get along well!