Some Memories of Highschool

A Memory of a Show

I remember in HS, our concept for a Teachers' Day presentation was to show how the teaching environment changes. So we decided to show how it was in the past when teachers are stricter and employed corporal punishment, how it was in our time when students enjoy considerably more freedom and how we envisioned the future where we saw the return of corporal punishment and everybody was a Stepford wife. In our future classroom, incorrect answers were punished by painful electrocution.

It did not sit well with the reviewing nun that we decided to end the play depicting the teacher giving an incorrect answer to her own question and the entire class pushing buttons providing the killing voltage. The fictitious future fact that the former president FVR was killed by his wife also got criticized, that year being the International Year of the Family and all.

In the end, we had to rework the script where we had a Utopian classroom where every one was all smiles and respectful.

I guess we settled for sarcasm.


 
 A Memory of Pride

I remember in HS, on Flor Contemplacion's execution day, a classmate was listening on radio and heard that Flor's family was already planning her internment.

I asked,"Natuloy ba ang execution?"

She replied,"Oo. Pinag-uusapan na nga ang internment e. Di mo ba alam kung ano yun?"

To which I reply as always do when asked about things I do not know, "Hindi."

Funny how meager knowledge makes one proud and condescending.

I am not so innocent of this failing myself.




A Memory of Christmas

I remember in HS, as part of a requirement in Music class, we were grouped into two choirs to sing for Christmas. It turned out that during the set weekend meeting very few people showed up for either group that those who did decided to form a single choir and ditch the rest who did not. The Leader announced it pompously the following Monday. Reorganized, we practiced our songs. During the presentation, the other sections decided to sing as a class 'in the spirit of Christmas.' Our section decided to sing as separate choirs.