Standard One

I do not remember much about my first day of school. I had been in kindergarten for two years before that and I was pretty mature for my age. So I believe I had no difficulty adjusting to primary school.

But this incident, I remember very well. On my first day of school, I was put in Class 1C. Now, although my mother did not speak English, she knew the letters of the English alphabet very well. And “C” was definitely not a good class to be in. I had topped my class in kindergarten the year before and she was worried that my potential might not be recognized in the new school. [Yeah, I went to a competitive kindergarten that had tests and class positions even at that level, lol!]

Anyway, the next day, my mother marched up to my class teacher then, a lady called Mrs Yong, and… well, enlightened her as to my brilliance, precocity or whatever, and also let out that my father had just died and so I should be given a fair chance to succeed in life (you get the drift) … and ultimately made her point that I should be transferred to Class 1A. Mrs Yong was sympathetic but told her not to worry. There would be a streaming test soon and if I passed it well, I would definitely go to Class 1A - which I did, soon after.

My new teacher in Class 1A was Mrs Chew. Mrs Chew and Mrs Yong were good friends and I am sure Mrs Yong would have talked to her about me, my (overbearing?) mother and my rather unusual circumstances. So my mother had in fact succeeded in singling me out to my teachers and making sure that I received due attention among the 48 students that each teacher had to manage in the classroom at that time.

Would that be a reason, I would never know, but that year in Standard One, I was given my first position of responsibility, the start of many that eventually led me to being the head prefect of the school.

In Class 1A, I was one of the four appointed leaders in class. I was responsible for collecting books from my row of tables. In addition, I was also tasked to send the teacher’s record book to the office and at the same time, collect the class register everyday, responsibilities which I carried out with great pride. I remember there was once, one of the other girls tried to “usurp” my duties, and I actually cried – the only time I ever remember crying in school!

As a class leader, I know it was not big deal but every journey began with a small step. I had thus begun my journey up the school student hierarchy from being a humble leader in Standard One to being a class monitor in later years and then graduating to becoming a prefect in Standard Five and the head prefect in Standard Six. I must add that I was well-liked by both teachers and friends and my serious but mature disposition suited positions of responsibilities very well.

Now, how my life eventually turned out - getting scholarships and so on - hinged not only on my scholastic achievement but also my student activity record. And so, I often wondered, if I were to trace back to where it all began, would I say it began the day my mother opened the door for me when she spoke with my Standard IC teacher….?