Prior
to the year, 2000, schooling in most nursery and primary schools in most local
African societies was very fun and interesting. This is because, during the
period, the use of slate was very prevalent in Primary One and in nursery
classes. Almost every student, who schooled in this era, had one amazing
experience or the other, which cannot be easily forgotten. I did my nursery
school during this period. Thus, I had many eexperiences, but there is a special
one that is very interesting; and I want to share it with you now.
Can
you remember the small board held by that little girl in the picture???
It
is slate! It is a small wooden blackboard for pupils, who are learning to write
both numbers and letters. It was fun to write on it! The only things I wrote on
it were ABCD...Z and 123... Numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6, and letters C, E, and F
were very difficult; they gave me headache before I learned to write them well.
One
Monday morning, we were given a class work to write 1-10 in Nursery 3. For the
first time, I got them correctly. I did not write an inverted 5, and my 4 and
my 6 were not facing West. So, the teacher drew a very long good with a pink
chalk on my slate running from the bottom of the slate to the top. I felt
really happy. Quickly, I hid my slate under the Teacher's table so that no one
would jealously erase my long good until my mum and other villagers saw it.
After
a long break, it was time for English Language. The Teacher instructed every
pupil to bring out his or her slate and write her A-G. That means erasing
everything we had done earlier on the slate. I refused! Erase my long good in
pink chalk? No way! As every pupil did as instructed, I innocently hugged my
slate making sure no part was erased.
When
the Teacher saw me, she stood up, took her long cain, and started coming
towards me very angrily. Immediately, I jumped out through the window alongside
my slate. I hid in the bush until the closing bell was rung.
After
the closing song and prayer, I ran out of my hiding place and emerged where my
friends were with a very long good on my clean slate. I made mockery of they
who either had short goods or had no goods at all. And out of anger and envy,
one of them erased my precious good and ran away into a nearby bush. I turned
red! First, I erased the tiny good on his slate, broke his slate, and still
pursued him into the bush.
Fortunately,
I caught him, pulled him by his legs, made sure his back touched the ground,
and I fed him enough sand. After teaching him a good lesson, I came back to my
poor slate, took it, and started crying home! Oh, what an experience!
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