My Primary School Days

作者是 Mikie Tang Kit Yee

My Primary School Days                          Mikie Tang Kit Yee

I graduated from Alliance Primary School 40 years ago in 1969. During those days, our classes were held in the 2-storey high old premises at Lancashire Road. Every morning, I would see a tall, slim man with black hair, silver-wired spectacles and straight back, greeting us with a compassionate smile outside the office on the ground floor. He was the kind and highly respected late Principal, Elder Tsui Ting fun.

There were 4 classrooms with movable panels on the ground floor. This was where we had our lunches together. Although there was no air-conditioning, it was quite cool inside. The school provided us with thick and hard rectangular cardboards to be place mats. The maids in school, namely芳姐、季姐、蘇姐 (I forgot some other names.) would steam all our food in aluminum lunch boxes in layers of huge bamboo dim-sum steamers which were turned into aluminum steamers later. At that time, we were only given one choice of lunch everyday. However, the menu rotated once every 2 weeks. We also got free fresh milk to go with our lunches.

At Christmas time or any time of celebrations, the four classrooms downstairs would be turned into a “big hall”. The janitors arranged all the students’ wooden desks in rows to form a big stage. Our classroom desks had a lid which was supported by 2 small pieces of wood and could be opened at the top. So the desk top could be flat or slant. That’s where we stood on and performed our dances and songs happily and proudly in front of all the parents and friends. Sometimes, our singing was accompanied on a small size antique Pump Organ. We even had simple lighting with light bulbs installed inside tin boxes and a line of Christmas light bulbs hanging down across the stage. I was also a member of the top-rated choir in school and we had won numerous prizes in various inter-school singing competitions. During our practice, we sat on wooden benches (1^st two rows) and heavy wooden chairs (the back rows). This choir became a nursery for embedding music in my heart and becoming an accompanist when I grew up. In those days, we didn’t have any brass band, string ensemble or orchestra. Instead, we had a medium size percussion band which only practised before performances. Only selected students could join the band.

There was no gymnasium, hall or playground. But we did enjoy a few sports. We had our Physical Education classes, badminton and table-tennis games on the fenced roof-top “playground” which had a windy and sunny environment. That’s why we were trained to play badminton and table-tennis well under such undesirable circumstances. At recess, I would play jumping ropes; duck duck goose or dodge ball with my classmates on the narrow slope at the access path along the side entrance at Lancashire Road (where the staircases are now.) There was no lift as the school was only 2-storey high with no basement. At the end of the school, we either waited for our transportation in 1A classroom which was next to the General Office or at the sand pool area at the side entrance.

Elder Tsui, our Principal was very strict. He loved collecting jade and there was always a piece of jade collection hiding in his palm. When we didn’t behave well, he would gently knock at our heads with the jade between his fingers. Besides, he didn’t allow boys to have long hair. Whoever wore hair of “illegal” length would be invited to sit at the middle of the open air cement courtyard (where the 3^rd floor is now) to demonstrate the most trendy cut done by the discipline master. Once he even helped a dirty, smelly student who never took bath on weekdays to take shower over there. For girls who had long hair like me, we had to wear two braids. There were big glasses on the top of all the walls along the corridor. When we saw a shadow passing by during class time, even the usually most unruly students would behave well and kept quiet right away.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to sit on a tall iron stool at the office, selling “tickets” to students so that they could purchase their snacks and drinks at the tuck shop at school during recess and lunch time. At that time, a bottle of Vitasoy soya bean milk only costs 30 cents and a pineapple bun 10 cents. At the end of the day, I had to wrap all the collected coins in rolls with paper and pass to the clerk. I always waited eagerly for the end of each month because I would get paid for my “job”. Guess what? – Either a bottle of crème soda or a popsicle of my choice.

Since there was limited space at school, we didn’t have many extra-curricular activities except English and mathematics tuition classes. The Mathematics classes were conducted by the Principal who taught us to use an abacus and mental math to do calculations. The English classes were conducted by a caring and dedicated teacher, Mrs. Bethel who was the wife of Rev Bethel from the United States of America. She prepared us by timelessly giving free after-school tutoring three times a week after school. That is why students those days were well prepared and well trained in English and Mathematics. I was weak in Mathematics. During the tuition, I couldn’t control my fingers dancing up and down and making jolly music inside the desk drawer. Of course, I was caught red handed by the Principal to go up to the blackboard to do the calculations with white chalks. It was not a surprise for me to get a knock on my head at the end since I didn’t pay full attention and didn’t know how to do the problems. But I enjoyed the morning assembly in the church very much because Rev. Bethel always used magic and everyday objects to bring out the moral lessons and the Bible stories. His way of creative teaching set a good example for my Sunday School teaching later on in my life.

                  I have spent a whale of wonderful time in this school and I have been molded to become a well-disciplined and organized person. The most unforgettable one was the Primary Six Graduation Camp. It was held at the same site, Suen Douh Camp in Fanling. Twenty-six students would share the creaking wooden bunk beds in a big room and each group would take turn to do the washing up after meals and after baths. The windows of the dormitories had no glasses, but rusty wired grills only.

                  Taking shower was a challenging task to me as there was no water heater and I had to bathe myself in cold water. The mini-golf playground and the simple rope-climbing wall were the only facilities at the campsite. But we could rent bicycles and cycled around the campsite. Nobody wanted to miss the Campfire session. As we sat around the fire, we shared all our sweet and bitter memories. Tears couldn’t help from not running down our faces. We sang songs one after the other, begging the moon to stay longer. But the most significant of all is that I have come to know Christ in this camp. Later I was baptized and determined to put Jesus Christ in my life.

                  Therefore, I owe deeply to my primary school principal and teachers not only for the solid primary education I received, but also for their ethical and moral teachings and the way they imparted their values on us by their own examples. 

                   


    
The Old School premises    My sister and I in winter uniform at the school entrance.




We performed on the “stage” made of desks at Christmas.


      

Principal Elder Tsui                                        With Mr. Tsui and his wife


     

Look at our “school bags”                       My sister and I in summer uniform.
– James Bond Bags                                  (Notice our hair style!)
                                



The school choir sang at our teacher’s wedding ceremony.
The music teacher, Miss Wu was standing at the top right corner.