IS IT SAFE TO LOOK AT THE MOON?

Of Birthdays

As I celebrate another birthday, I think back to when I was 7 years old. Back in the Far East where I was born, 7 was the time a child enters first grade.

I have always been a shy child, and the beginning of a school year was the start of my awakening. I learned teachers were not in school to pamper any pupil. They were there to teach; and to teach they did, with so much energy, that a shy child got lost in the maze of all the lessons!

I realized teachers were not kind at all. They let pupils know they didn't care much whether you're learning anything or were just having a hard time learning as fast as the teachers wanted the pupils to learn.

Mathematics was my downfall. I dreaded it and never liked it at all. And teachers didn't care whether you want to learn Math because they think you MUST know it as much they do. Math lessons were my cross because the teacher sent me to the Principal more often than any of the other lessons in the class. I became more withdrawn and more timid at grade one.

What did I learn in Math class? I realized I shall always be embarrassed in class; that my inability to absorb numbers will always be a thorn on my side; that no matter how much I tried I shall always suffer humiliation and embarrassment when it comes to numbers!

My one joy was English lessons! I was glad when I passed grade one inspire of math. Because in grade two I became known as the No. One speller in class! I just caught on to English and it became such an inspiration to me that led me to journalism when I got to college. What a joy to leave math behind!!! Am I glad I loved English!!!