I do not like these words:
- groove, except 1) as joinery terminology, 2) in the context of phrases like long-playing microgroove, or 3) whenever my brother uses it. I have also disliked the word groovy ever since Mr. DiPietro required me to sing the second verse of "The 59th Street Bridge Song" out loud in sixth grade English. (Mr. DiPietro also gave me poor marks for penmanship. Beyond than these acts, he was a very nice teacher.)
- proper terminology for genitalia. This probably stems from formative discussions with at least one parent as well as sixth grade sex education class.
- sphagnum, because I can't pronounce or spell it. It was probably a vocabulary word in sixth grade.
[I also have quite a few other-than-verbal scars from sixth grade. That was a year of wearing unbearably dorky and mostly oversized ("so you'll grow into them") clothes, hand-sewn with love by my hard-working single mom -- clothes which inspired frequent teasing from peers, and even Mrs. Szlosek, my homeroom teacher, remarked on the hugeness of a certain pair of pants (I was chubby but not that chubby). That was also the year when, attempting a forward somersault, I lost both consciousness and control of my bladder in gym class, awakening beneath a circle of staring, snickering classmates. The worst of these experiences came from telling my friend Mitzi in confidence about something I did as an inquisitive younger child. She did not keep it a secret, and it became even greater fodder for ridicule.]
Today I am especially fond of these words:
- elevenses, which I am consuming right now (please note that I first read The Hobbit in sixth grade)
- rhubard, though I can't spell that one either, because it is a key ingredient of today's elevenses
- primary, because it is nearly resolved
- coquette, for containing the /k/ sound in both syllables
- spackle
[I tried to think of some other positive word associations from sixth grade, but it was a pretty low year.]
Now it seems necessary to include this, with my apologies: