When I entered the first grade of primary school, I was going to board at St. Stephen’s Primary School in Stanley. This is a tradition in my family, because my father also went to school in St. Stephen’s when he was a child, so it was logical that my sister, brother and I also attended St. Stephen’s Primary School. When I was in the first grade, my brother was in the third grade. He was in the boys’ dormitory and I was in the girls’ dormitory. Even if we were in the same school, it was difficult for us to meet each other. We couldn’t sit down with my brother when we had dinner. We could only see each other after school. which means, when boarding, you really have to be by yourself, everything depends on yourself,This experience definitely strengthened my independence in the future and had a decisive impact on my life.
The first night of “checking in”
Speaking of the first night of boarding, on Sunday, my mother was a little weird. She drove my brother and me to school, but she and I sat there from about four o’clock to about six o’clock (normally six o’clock is already dinner time), and I was thinking: Why haven’t we gone home yet? After arriving at the canteen with my mother, the canteen bell rang, and she suddenly said good bye to me. I didn’t know what happened, and my brother didn’t know where he was. I saw a bunch of children in front of me, and I felt very helpless…
Am I in jail?
After my mother left, the first boarding experience that welcomed me was the “canteen”. During the meal, there were 8 children at a table. There was a director and a deputy director, who (mostly third and fourth graders) were responsible for dividing dishes, rice, soup, etc. The first graders were still young, so most of them were waiting for food. It’s the hardest thing for me to eat fruit after a meal! There were servants at home who could cut fruits. It was the first time for me, who was not yet 6 years old, to cut fruits by myself. It was hard to get used to it. The lighting and atmosphere in the dining hall made the first night of boarding feel lonely and scary.
Calling a package conference?
The environment back in the dormitory is of course completely different from home. There is no air conditioning, there are many mosquitoes, the beds are made of iron branches (with mosquito nets), and everyone has their own cabinet with shoe racks and some daily necessities. It’s very scary to see these strange and identical patterns. Basically, I cry every day and miss my mother very much. As long as one child cries and says, “I miss my mother very much,” all the children, regardless of gender, will cry together. The whole environment is very pitiful.
Dormitory life is all about learning the rules
Dormitory life is about learning the rules, from folding quilts, making beds, changing clothes, wearing school uniforms, washing up, putting on shoes, etc. You have to do everything yourself, and you can’t do anything “without any care”. Every day at 6:45am, I have to get up, wash myself, and make the bed. It must be made very straight without any wrinkles. The method of folding the shirt after washing must also follow the same method. You must follow it, because everything mentioned above is inspected by the room manager. If it is not folded well, it will not be qualified, and everything must be redone!
The collection of sonorous graduation from primary school interviews me on my mood when I said goodbye to my classmates.
A six-year-old can handle more than you think!
When I share the reason for boarding, I want to say that it is not how “bad” the environment is, but that this boarding experience has made me realize something.A six-year-old child can definitely do all of the above independently!
In addition to bathing, a “sister” will help us wash our hair and bathe. However, when washing towels, underwear, etc., we have to remember to put them in the laundry basket. (There are also specific days for washing clothes.) No one reminds us, but we have to keep it in mind.
Regarding boarding, what I want to say is…
Boarding life emphasizes a sense of responsibility. You are responsible for all your own things. Your cabinet is your property, including mosquito nets, beds, shirts, pants, shoes, and daily necessities. If you forget to bring back your white sneakers when you go home on the weekend, you can wear leather shoes that week. It’s your own fault if you forget to wash your school uniform or forget to bring your sweater in autumn.All of the above are your responsibility alone, no one else will help.
let it go! parents
The boarding life really helped me develop a strong sense of independence. It is certainly easy to go back now, but at that time, every day felt like hell. There were so many things to deal with, and it was very hard. I would like to tell today’s parents that 6-year-old children can do more than you think. You don’t have to ask the worker sister or you to do it yourself. Let them do more, and they will definitely be able to do it! Given freedom and space, children can thrive.
