MY LABORATORY SCHOOL

it has given me the best education i have, my laboratory school.

we were introduced early to books. by the time i was in grade three, i was devouring fairy tales and raiding the library of miss duka for the tales of robin hood and of king arthur and the knights of the round table. slowly but surely, i was becoming interested in classics.

once a week, we listen to radio broadcasts from radio australia. they were, as it were our introduction to mass media learning. then, there were already the semblaces of multi-media instructional materials we enjoyed.

our girl schoolmates were much taller than us and seem more emotionally mature. while they indulged in their crushes, we played baseball under the sweltering heat of the noon day sun. afterwards, we filed in silently in our afternoon class under the withering stare of our critic teacher in grade five.

we had our weekly play fest. we produced, directed and acted out our parts in those plays. the girls were better than us. they can easily shed tears while we played the parts of cowboys and indians. sometimes, even bandits and terrorists. it was the showcase of the best in us, even if we were only kids.

the english campaigns taught us straight conversational english. we did have student patrols nabbing classmates who speak in the vernacular. it was tough but it was good.

christmas was memorable. agoho christmas trees inside our classrooms; home-made christmas cards to be given to parents; exchange gifts; the traditional school christmas program that signal the end of classes and the burdensome take home essay exams - "how i spent my christmas vacation".

my laboratory school taught me that learning could be both demanding yet fun.

truly, they were the montessoris and learning centers of yesteryears.