'When did you first realise that you were 'different'?'

I think in those times it was fairly general that we would be 'pulled up' for not following the 'standard' writing of the policy of the school.

Contrariwise to your teacher, we were made to write the three with a flat top.  And also the four with an 'open' top, not making a triangle.  A nine had to have a vertical line below the circle, not one at an angle. A '1' would have to be a straight vertical line.  A '2' would be outlawed if it had a 'curly' bottom.  A '6' conversely to the '9' had to have an angled line. There was no room for individualism at all.   Punishment was handed out for offending, such as being rapped over the knuckles with the ruler, or smacked on the legs (boys wore short trousers so it would be quite painful).

There were also rules about the relative sizes within quite strict limits.  I remember one lad, who in retrospect was dyslexic, who was frequently punished for writing his capital 'R' the wrong way round, which probably didn't help him, and being left handed was also subject to punishment.

Those were the days!

Trainspotter said:

and being left handed was also subject to punishment.

Due to a Biblical miss-transliteration (with translations involving words) people were given the impression that being left-handed was evil rather than good, so ruler impressions across the back of the left hand were among other tortures used to convert children to using the right hand to write. The incorrect transliteration comes from Matthew 6:3~4; involving, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men," as follows:

3. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4. so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret , will reward you.

When the correct form driven 'word/s for word' transliteration from the Greek texts, as are without numerations, is as follows:

Of  you  then,  when  doing  kind  deeds,  do  not  let  to  know  the  left  of  you  what  doings  are  the right  of  you,  so   that  may  be  of  you  this  way  kind  deeds  in  as  such  private;  and  the  Father you  the  seer  in  as  much  private  will  reward  so  you.

Trainspotter said:

and being left handed was also subject to punishment.

Due to a Biblical miss-transliteration (with translations involving words) people were given the impression that being left-handed was evil rather than good, so ruler impressions across the back of the left hand were among other tortures used to convert children to using the right hand to write. The incorrect transliteration comes from Matthew 6:3~4; involving, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men," as follows:

3. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4. so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret , will reward you.

When the correct form driven 'word/s for word' transliteration from the Greek texts, as are without numerations, is as follows:

Of  you  then,  when  doing  kind  deeds,  do  not  let  to  know  the  left  of  you  what  doings  are  the right  of  you,  so   that  may  be  of  you  this  way  kind  deeds  in  as  such  private;  and  the  Father you  the  seer  in  as  much  private  will  reward  so  you.