A Toastmistress Journey - Part 1

For many years, I was a proud Toastmaster.  It is a great organization.  I haven't closed the door entirely on my Toastmaster journey, it is just that I can't find a club that matches my schedule currently.  Long before I was a proud Toastmaster, I was a proud Toastmistress. Many people incorrectly assumed that Toastmistress was the female equivalent of Toastmasters much like Kinettes and the Kinsmen.  It was not true.  The organizations were affiliated by a common name and had entirely different programs and goals.  At every meeting, we would recite as a group the Toastmistress pledge.  I can't remember all of it but I remember the ending.  We pledged to respect the English language and to use it with grace and facility.  Toastmasters was founded in 1924 and Toastmistress was founded in 1939.  Some people ask me about the difference in the two programs..  Ok, my partner is the only one that asks about the difference in the organizations, but, I am feeling nostalgic and want to share my Toastmistress journey.  Toastmistress played an important role in making me the woman I am today and sharing our stories is important, not only as a testament to our own journeys but also for the generations that follow. 

My Toastmistress journey really started while I was in elementary school, but I didn't know it then.  My parents would go to parent/teacher conferences and were usually told the same information.  I was a bright girl but painfully shy.  My parents did what they could and I took music lessons and was a Brownie but I was still very shy.  Some of my parent's friends were teachers and they told them that Grade 7 is a very hard year on students.  It is the first high of Junior High School and the start of adolescence.  I think that I had that in my head, because it was a hard year for me. Nothing major happened but it just seemed to be a difficult year. 

Grade 8 seemed to be a wonderful year.  I had an amazing homeroom teacher who was a great teacher and had a zest for life.  She had imaginative and innovative learning techniques.  Again, nothing major seemed to happen that year, but I was a lot happier.  Awards day was the second last day of school.  I knew that I would be receiving a Honours pin but, out of nowhere, I won two additional awards.  I won the Meritorious Award for best all round student.  Literally, this came out of nowhere and I didn't even know there was such an award. 

I was thrilled!  Our awards came with cash prizes so I had lots of money to spend at the Dauphin Fair. Also, I couldn't wait to tell my grandpa.  He valued education and gave me a $1000. bond every time I passed a grade.  Despite his generosity with me, he was very frugal.  We talked twice a week and before 8 am so it was the cheapest time.  I phoned him after school because I was so excited.  I almost gave him a coronary.  I told him by exciting news.  He asked if I had "passed".  I said, technically, I didn't know since I hadn't gotten my report card, but it was looking good.  He told me to call tomorrow when I had my report card and hung up on me. 

My mother was very disappointed.  Had she known I was going to get this Award, she would have gotten a nicer dress for me to wear for the pictures. 

One of my mother's friends, Margaret Ritchie, talked to my parents.  She said that something needed to be done about my shyness otherwise I would never accomplish my goals in life.  She informed my mom that she was going to take me to Toastmistress in the fall when I was starting Grade 9. 

I had two months to prepare for my Toastmistress experience except I had no idea what to prepare for.