Coffee Break ver. 1.21: My Memories of Grade School

How were you like as a grade school student?

This is so long ago already!

I was in a Catholic Chinese Filipino school so we had a lot of subjects and assignments, although I didn't realize it then. It was now when I compare our schedules and assignments with those who finished grade school in other schools that I realize that we had a lot more requirements. What do you expect, since Religion and 2 subjects in Chinese were required subjects? :)

I remember that I was a pretty well behaved kid. Too quiet at times. But then teachers of a big class (there are around 40-55 of us in one classroon) appreciate quiet students more than the noisy ones, so I guess they do think positively of me.

I was a slow eater so I used up all my lunch hour just for lunch. My mother insisted on hot food so she didn't think of just packing the baon in the morning and letting me bring it to school. My yaya had to bring it to me during lunchtime and wait for me to finish so she can bring back the lunchbox. Which was such a hassle for all involved, since my school and home were not exactly beside each other. There were a lot of times when my lunch was late so I only had a limited time to eat it. Later mom just paid for my being a "lunch boarder", which means the school serves lunch everyday and she pays for it every month.

I was always a dark horse but never a top contender. Meaning that although I was never in any race for the gold, silver or bronze medalists, the teachers oftentimes find my grade in the quizzes and exams among the top. Sometimes I do top the exam. But my average grades were good enough for 10 ten, but never in the striking distance of the top three. So my parents never had the distinction of going onstage to pin a medal on me.

I remember being teased a lot. And I was so pikon. :)

Games? I sometimes get asked to join, sometimes not. (A lot of times not). Children do get their own cliques already, and sometimes they are brutally frank if they do not like you to be a part of that. I was more of a loner. Good thing I loved books more than running around. Later on, when I grew up, I realized that, yes, children can be cruel in saying you do not belong to their group, but in the real world, you do encounter people who do not accept you at all. It's really a preview of the real world.

Thanks, Jan for this question. I realized how much I learned from school, not only about academics, but also about the real life.