The following is extracted from an email I sent to an ex-primary teacher, who I know through my voluntary work.

The interesting point demonstrated here is that teachers simply couldn't function in a classroom environment without adopting a totally artificial attitude of superiority, regardless of their innate abilities. In fact, it is essential for discipline and instruction that teachers not fall into a position of inferiority.

This email followed from an example of her overly smug attitude, in which she kept calling me MICHEL, as a conceit, ie by using the German form of my name. This would seem trivial but, in groups, she is respectful and polite to everyone except me.

I believe this type of antisocial behaviour is partly a classic case of transference, where being the youngest adult she knows, I am like her surrogate school children. :-)

In addition I am, for all practical intents and purposes, educated more by my own efforts rather then by compulsory instruction, (due to a combination of disabilities and a considerable amount of ignorance) however, I have a better degree so she may feel threatened by that too.

I love her dearly and it hurts me to see her struggle, but she seems to continually get amusement at my expense by belittling me at every social gathering.

Nobody likes to be mentally assaulted, and this is getting on my nerves. There’s too much hate and strife in the world already, I’ve had my share & don't need anymore!

Ironically, while she is attempting to assert her own personality into a position of superiority, she is only drawing attention to the sad fact that she is nursing an inferiority complex.

Dear PEARL,

...Secondly, I am not French or Italian. Here we change MICH