P4, circa 1986 
P6, circa 1988
The amazing thing about Facebook is we get back in touch with people from ages ago... and this I mean Primary school classmates. For me it doesn't date back anymore than that because I just don't remember any names from my kindergarten days... except this girl whom also went to the same school with me in our primary and secondary school days.
The last time I went back was 6 years ago, when I taught at the secondary school next door as a Sub Teacher for a couple of months. But honestly, I really hadn't set foot in the primary school campus for ... 20 years.
Everything has shrunk. I remember running around the playground like it was a 400m track, and we could play "ping pong football/Watermelon football" in the covered playground, where we could easily fit 400 kids there for morning assembly... I honestly don't know how we could do that now... it's so small?!
The same basketball court, same hard surface where we played during Recess
I didn't make plans to meet up with old classmates, but did meet 3 while I was there. It's just strange to see them... we all look the same (except now I'm triple-sized), but I haven't ANY clue what has become of them. Even old buddies, 20 years is almost a life time of memories and changes. Our FB profiles show that we've all become individuals, with our own friends, families, career, etc. Our 6 years together, does it amount to anything? Does it mean much to any of us? Except sharing the playground, corridors, classrooms, it doesn't seem to add up to much, does it?
Gosh, hadn't seen Erica in at least 18 years
Acquaintances come in and out of your life. Sometimes I don't even remember the names of people I met last week. But these people, about 60 of them, names stick in the back of my mind for the last 20-odd years. Funny but I actually dream about them sometimes, playing in our playground... Moments in class, a certain teachers, "relationships", buddies, competitions... That's our childhood. Sacred, precious, and so innocent. Only happy memories, and nothing else. Our Age of Innocence.
Bye bye, part of my childhood
8 comments:
Your childhood is in your mind, always.
Funny that I've just got the news from my bros that the government primary school we attended, which is only 300m away from my place, will be "killed" when this semester's over. It only opens to students and parents. I doubt if I'd go back for a few shots b4 it closes or being torn down completely.
You had been a teacher for several months?! PE & Eng? Who'd feel their primary the same as they were there 20+ years suggests s/he has been working sooooo hard on keeping his/her height and size unchange :)
Primary friends are wonderful creatures. Even they have grown and changed their hair style, etc. dramatically u r still able to recognize them. If u give me some time, I am able to recall the names and class numbers of my P6 class.
BTW, why u were in 5B? Hadn't studied hard in P4? (LOL, sorry, editor's eye)
Got to run out but have to make a point clear.... :)
We were not "classified" between classes A or B in terms of our grades. But don't ask me what the rationale was. Even in Secondary School it was not done that way. In fact, in Secondary School, Class A is the one for those with English troubles... I was in Class F.... ;D
And btw, I taught English, History and Geography. ;))
Class F stands for ... Fail? (LOL) In secondary, we didn't have very clear classification either. Some teachers complained the system as there were often some very smart and some a bit slow students in the same class.
u studied arts? thought u look more like a sci guy :0
Actually, I never found out what's an Arts subject or what's a Science subject... and it wasn't until last year that I found out Geography is an Arts subject, and was a little surprised.
And for a grade with only 2 classes, I think it really didn't mean much to separate them into "Better" or "Worse" classes. I believe in integration, and think honestly that more interaction between those "really smart" ones and those "not so smart" ones would do both good.
In those Band 1 schools, "integration", as what u put it, does not affect the teaching very much as most students are generally able to catch up the coursework (also depends on how many classes a grade). But in other schools it would be a total different stories. I have been there, for 7 years, FYI :-)
Memories light the corners of my mind, misty water colour memories, and the way we were~~
They are shutting down my Primary school this summer too. My mom used to teach there and she was my Chinese Language teacher for a while. The best thing was that I could hang around the teacher's lougne all the time, snacking afternoon tea or doing my homework. Sad that they are tearing down something that meant so much to me....
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