farewell, school

Many of us are fortunate enough to have gone through primary school, the only education institute where kids can enjoy learning as much as playing, and stay away from teenage violence and rape (sad i know), most of all, kids are inevitably interacting with many other kids, in a little society ppl like to call 'school'. The draw back is that it is bounded by rules, kids are 'disciplined' if they dont behave, and they are stuck together whether they like it or not, in a close-to-intolerable confined area where kids like me prefered to call it as 'kids' prison'.

The Hong Kong education system pretty much adopts the british- that means six years of primary learning, followed by seven years of secondary education. St.Paul's co-education college is a protestant institution where i happened to spend nine years of my youth in, or rather, i was chosen to become one of their students. I remember my mom was all psyched when i was accepted. I felt the contrary, i mean just bcos my eldest sister and cousins went to this school, this is just family trail, whats the big deal? Besides, i wasnt exactly the outgoing kinda kid, let alone getting stuck in a room with 39 other kids.  

There is another thing. This school has a reputation for academic and musical achievements (in other words its filled with asian kids with NO social skills... okay, low social skills). When ever there is a reputation, there is pride, and when ever there is pride, there is restraints. The school rules are pretty strict, and i swear some of the teachers just flat out loath the kids. I got to realise this many years later, when i finally have friends who are teachers, they just have to confess that after a couple months of teaching and spending time around kids, they have already decided not to have children of their own, forever.  

Having said all this, besides the confined environment that i found suffocating, the rest is genuinely a fun ride. I was pretty active in school choir, poetry and orchestra training, and triumphed in many open competitions. Even though some teachers loathed us, there are others who really cared for us and encouraged us. Now that many years have passed, when it is decided to tear down the campus, the kids from the past are all grown up, and they bring their own kids to pay their last visit, with the utmost respect, to farewell their own childhood memories. I miss my childhood, dont you?

Goodbye, school.

playground, where fun boils for 400-500 kids, at the same time

Corridors and blackboards, images that forever imprinted in our memories

announcement stand, piano, and plants care-taking

1st lesson, learning the teachers' nicknames lol

mr. yu has been teaching maths and science for 24 years, i was one of his student, he forgot about me though ....

the primary school wing is now history

the college campus, to incorporate the primary campus soon