Oh how I miss those fun days in primary school. Despite the fact that we were put in a long one and given words to spell, and if you spelled the word incorrectly you got a good whipping on your hands, I still remember the fun events and programs in school. And I know that you too enjoy reminiscing about your schooldays, so here is another one and see if they were like your days, or even better.
I used to enjoy once a week the singing period that was part of our school schedule. Every child had his or her turn to go in front of the classroom and sing for the class. If you did well, you got an applause. If you did a poor job, you got some criticism. If you refused to sing, you got two cuts with the teacher’s whip. Some boys did not sing because they were nervous or too macho to do a girlish thing. Some girls did not because they were shy. You bet I had my repertoire because I was not willing to get any whipping. Here are the lyrics of my favorite song, many of you will remember:
I went to the animal’s farm.
The birds and the bees wee there.
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing her auburn hair.
The monkey fell off his bunk
And fell on the elephant’s trunk.
The elephant sneeze
And fell on his knees
And what became of the monkey, the monkey? (repeated10 times)
The other period scheduled once a week was story telling or riddles time. Oh! it was fun listening to these stories even though some were repeated a hundred times. But the fun part was enjoying the nervousness of some kids in their attempt at public speaking. Hey, speaking in public is not easy and singing and talking in front of the class are great tools in learning. I recommend them, without the lashing, of course, because it is illegal today.
Oh! what fun to be in school twenty five years ago. I agree some kids got a lot of lashing, but usually it was their fault. But we learned mathematics without the use of any calculators and we learned English without the help of Microsoft Office, and of course we learned to sing and our choir sang in three voices with much harmony. Good job 25 years ago.
– by Angel Nuñez, Columnist
