School Memories

It was Paul’s idea to have a small get-together and have “an evening of talking over old times”. All of his friends liked the idea, especially Brian who came back from his hometown only a week ago. That trip was very special to him. He wandered through the park in the centre of the town and remembered the days when he used to walk through the same park with his first girlfriend. He stood for a while in front of the movie theatre and thought about all the Sunday afternoons he used to spend there. He ate homemade ice cream at the ice cream shop. And he even rode on the merry-go-round in the park. For a little while, he felt like a kid again. He visited several of his old neighbours who were still living there. He said hello to the owner of the bakery near his house. And to top it all, he bumped into Mr Norris, his school teacher. Well, he did have something to tell his friends about!

When Paul and his friends finally got together one cold winter evening, Brian was the first to speak. His nostalgic story brought back memories of days gone by – early childhood and, of course, schooldays. For some of them, like Carol, schooldays were very happy. She had a great time at school. The thing was that she lived out in the country, so the moment she finished school she and her classmates would be out in the fields playing all kinds of games. There was a river, and they used to swim in it. In the little village school she went to, they were all together – boys and girls of all ages. It was like one big happy family. Perhaps it was a bit difficult for the teacher – different ages and different abilities – but the older children always helped the younger ones. And everyone enjoyed that. When Carol’s parents moved to town she had to go to another school – a big comprehensive school with a lot of subjects. The teaching was very good and there were lots of extra activities. It was quite interesting to study there. Yet Carol was never so happy as she used to be in her little village school. There could never be another place like that!

Cindy’s schooldays were certainly not the happiest. The problem was that she lived in a world of her own. She went to the local grammar school. It was an all-girls’ school, and they all had to wear a uniform. Cindy really hated it! The girls weren’t allowed to mix much with children from other schools and none of them liked it. She was about twelve or thirteen and she felt very lonely there! Once, she even pretended that she had a little sister and it got so real that she told her friends at school. And she kept this up for two whole years! But then, one of the girls mentioned Cindy’s sister to her mother, who she knew well, and the truth came out. Everyone looked at Cindy a bit strangely for a while and she was very embarrassed, but after a month or two they all forgot it and so did Cindy. As for the teachers, Cindy found them rather boring. Frankly, she hated everything about that school, even the games. She still shudders at the thought of those freezing mornings, when they had to run around the school stadium. And another thing – it wasn’t a co-educational school, so for a couple of years after Cindy left it, she felt awful around boys.

Alex couldn’t stand the first school he went to, when he was five. He was so miserable there he still doesn’t like to think about it. He couldn’t understand why children were so cruel to one another. It wasn’t always a physical thing. Sometimes they played jokes on him, spilt ink on his books so he would get into trouble. But mostly they just called him names or laughed at him and that hurt just as much. In the end, it got so bad that his parents had to take him away.

The next person to speak was Charles Barkley, one of those select few who had a very privileged education. He studied at Eton, one of the oldest and top public schools for boys in the United Kingdom. Its students are largely from aristocratic and upperclass families. But Charles thinks that it can be a handicap in life to go to a school like Eton. People think that those who study at Eton are arrogant and snobbish, with no brains or talent. Charles passed three “A” levels in Maths, Physics and Computer Studies. However, his teachers were not very happy with his work. They thought he was spending too much time playing his guitar and reading music magazines. He had his own room at Eton where he slept and studied. He went home for the weekend twice a term but otherwise didn’t have much freedom.

Kelly was good at most subjects at school. She was especially good at Arithmetic – she could add up as fast as a calculator, and she still can, but when they started real Mathematics – Algebra, Geometry – she had no idea about the subject and she didn’t like it. It all started when the teacher said that a circle had three hundred and sixty degrees and Kelly asked him why – she was really curious – and he said: “Don’t ask stupid questions, girl!” That was the end of real Mathematics for Kelly.

It was well past midnight, but the discussion went on and on. Paul leaned forward and hung on every word. He wondered what was in store for them in the twenty-first century.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

I. Are the following sentences true or false? If false, say why.

1.Paul and his friends gathered together to look back at the times when they were little kids.

2.Brian went on a trip to his native town where he experienced nostalgia for his happy childhood and youth.

3.At the baker’s near his home he ran into his school teacher, Mr Norris.

4.Carol was fond of playing games for the school.

5.She was lucky because of the place where she lived.

6.Carol came from a big family and all her brothers and sisters studied together.

7.Cindy went to a co-educational grammar school.

8.Cindy’s classmates learnt the truth about her sister from another child’s mother.

9.Cindy didn’t like the teachers because she thought they were rather dull.

10.Her classmates treated her cautiously for a few weeks.

11.Alex was upset at school because the other students hit him.

12.He often got into trouble there because his classmates were aggressive and made fun of him.

13.Charles went to a state school for privileged students.

14.He didn’t like studying at Eton because the students there were arrogant and snobbish.

15.Charles was keen on music magazines and he would spend hours reading them.

16.Kelly was only good at Arithmetic at school.

17.She lost interest in Mathematics because the teacher didn’t answer her question properly.

18.While Paul was listening to his friends’ stories, he started to worry about their future.

II. Here are the answers to some questions about the text. Ask the questions.

1._________________________________?

–To talk over their schooldays.

2._________________________________?

–Only a week ago.

3._________________________________?

–It was very special.

4._________________________________?

–He wandered in the park and visited some of his old neighbours.

5._________________________________?

–Yes, her schooldays were very happy.

6._________________________________?

–On the edge of the country.

7._________________________________?

–She used to play games and swim in the river.

8._________________________________?

–Yes, it was rather difficult for the teacher.

9._________________________________?

–When her parents moved to town.

10._________________________________?

–It was a big comprehensive school.