Home Learning 2 - The Son is in Secondary School

The Son is in Secondary School

The author wrote ‘The son …’, perhaps, the poet was writing the poem for his parents or he could be referring to himself simply because his parents often refer to him as ‘the son’.

My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something

In this quatrain, the poet could only vaguely remember the motto on his school’s badge. This could be because it was in Latin and he could only remember the thrust which was told to him. However, it does not mean the motto was not important to him otherwise he would not have mentioned it at all.

At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem

In this couplet, the poet described a familiar scene in Singapore and in schools where there are big trees with spreading branches. Crows are often spotted and they will fly or hop around looking for food crumbs left in the canteen and on parade grounds, making a din with their loud caws. The poet could be referring to actual crows that were around cawing about during the assembly time. He might also be referring to students who were chitchatting during the singing of the National Anthem, being disrespectful and disturbing others who were singing the National Anthem.

It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays

In this tercet, the poet complained that it was difficult to keep his school shoes white. He was probably wearing the normal canvas school shoes where you would need to paint them with white shoe polish after washing the shoes. The poet mentioned it was especially so on Wednesdays. I think he may have physical exercise or a sports related CCA on that day to cause his shoes to be more dirty than other days. I can easily commiserate with him when I was wearing such school shoes while I was in Primary school.

I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts

In this couplet, the poet mentioned bare thighs, so the scouts were most likely wearing shorts. Present day secondary school scouts wear long pants so we get an idea the poet was a secondary school boy from a long time ago when scouts were still wearing shorts. Scouts can do a number of things such as kayaking, learning how to pitch tents, etc. The scouts who were ‘hardworking’ were probably more tanned and muscular on the thighs and looked nicer than other scouts or other students even.

The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another

In this quatrain, perhaps a decade or more ago, was it a common sight to see Malay chauffeurs waiting to fetch their bosses’ children back from school.  Since the tone of the poem appear to be casual, the poet could just be making a nonchalant observation, or the poet could be expressing his envy at his classmates who had chauffeurs.

Seven to the power of five is unreasonable

In this single line stanza, the poet was complaining that it was not easy to have to do sums in Maths which require him to calculate to the power of five. Perhaps during his time, calculators were not used in secondary schools.

On Chinese New Year
Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo

In this quatrain, the poet wrote that Mrs Lee (whose surname lets us know she was a Chinese as in olden days, it was uncommon to have inter-racial marriages), dressed up in a Malay costume and sang a famous Indonesian song on Chinese New Year. He did not state it was a Chinese New Year Day, so it could be Chinese New Year’s celebration held in school. In that case he was probably fondly reminiscing Mrs Lee giving a performance on stage and probably wore the sarong kebaya to complement the song as Indonesian ladies also wear the costume. Mrs Lee might have impressed the poet with her singing or she might have been his favourite teacher.

The capital of Singapore is Singapore

The poet could be thinking of the simplest fact he had to learn. In most countries, we would need to learn a name different from the country’s name, but in Singapore’s case, both country and its capital is the same name, how easy it is to remember!

My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper

In this quatrain, the poet was reminiscing that his friend was either desperate or mischievous. In either case, it was probably an unforgettable act remembered by all who knew about the incident for many years to come. The students who knew about this incident would probably felt either sorry or amused for their friend.

In our annual yearbook

There is a photograph of me

Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment

When my eyes were actually closed

Final staza and analysis of the poet’s thought/feelings about his school days

The first five stanzas of this poem were written in the present tense, perhaps the poem was written was still in secondary school but he could have finished the first, second or even the third year as he mentioned his picture in the annual yearbook. The poet was obviously thinking about his time in secondary school and concluded his reminiscing with his picture in the annual yearbook which depicted a happy and helpful student, something to be proud about. However, this perfect picture was marred by his eyes caught closing. Perhaps, the poet suddenly felt that through the humdrum of school life, all the little experiences he had contributed towards his memory bank of his school life and he regretted spending his time in school all these time without opening his eyes to a more experiences.

The poem as a whole was written as a single stanza, in couplets, in tercet and in quantrains, giving me the feel that the poem has no regular rhythm or rhyme. It gives me the feeling the poet was trying to let us know he was writing a poem about his random thoughts of some of the interesting, or mundane or even regretful stuff that happened in his secondary school life.

My own school days

I have six years of primary school and am in my first year of secondary school. So I can compare my school memories of my primary school days with the poet’s. Unlike the poet, although my primary school’s motto was in Chinese, I know it well because my teachers made sure we learnt it by heart and also know its meaning well.

There are crows flying about in my school too but when the students were excited, they were nosier than the crows. My canvas shoes were also always dirty but I was not too bothered about them.  There were many well off students who came to school in private cars but their chauffeurs were either parents or grandparents.

Maths was difficult but so were Science, English and Chinese. I found languages the most difficult to master.

Our teachers also performed for us but normally on racial harmony days and children’s day and I have fond memories of some of these performances by my favourite teachers.

I do not have any friends that did similar ‘heroic’ deed like the poet’s best friend. My classmates and I were considered nerds and we were generally well behaved and did our best in our studies.

I do have random thoughts about my school life, I think about my friends, my teachers, my school work, the activities I do and did in school. These were mostly fond memories like the friends I made when I was a prefect who remain to this day, my best friends. I remember my teachers who worked hard to prepare us for the PSLE. My primary six form teacher even stayed up till three in the morning to make each of us an individual candle for children’s day and came to school the next day with panda eyes. Now that my life in primary school is over, I seldom dwell on the unpleasant memories which were mostly about getting good grades.

Poem about my primary school days

I got a medal every year for being a gentlemen and bilingual scholar of high integrity and robust character who is passionate about life, learning and service to others.

But I do not think my teachers remember me for achieving that.

My parents were pleased but reminded me to study hard.

I was part of the team that were champions in the inter-school bowling competition

It was a culmination of my hard work and a crowning moment in my primary school life.

It was lovely my parents and teachers conceded but

Studying hard for the PSLE was the objective

So aim for A* for English, Chinese, Maths and Science

It was all my goals in my primary school life

  

My school was nice, I remember blue skies.

There was a ‘longkang’ with fishes, a big cage with toucans

Friends I still know

Teachers who care

But studying was all I seemed to need to know

Six years passed

Time was short but seemed so long

My childhood spent and now my youth begin