ANTAKALIPA

Teacher Gertrude  When I was in school, I used to collect "full attendance" certificates. I came to school every day even on the day's when I wasn't writing. Marking the register was always priority. Exam season, we would be like 4 or 5 in the classroom, I didn't care, it was cool. We didn't have classwork, the teachers were liberated and you basically got a free pass to go anywhere. In the 3rd grade my teacher got pregnant and was replaced by a substitute teacher "Miss Gertrude". Teacher Gertrude didn't like me at all. She thought I was 'stout', mischievous and loud. I did all my classwork and homework but that was not enough. She used to weaponize the prize giving ceremony against me. "Do this or you won't go to prize giving. Shut up or you won't go to prize giving", it got stale and lost all potency. Her threats stopped being credible, they weren't based on anything real so they didn't change my co...

Poetry and Amelia. I remember my first poetry competition back in Primary school; Lyndhurst Primary school, Grade 3B, Mrs. Bosman. It was a Sesotho poem about three little birds. We went to this other school and there were other kids from other schools. Man, I was nervous but I had been practicing with Mrs. Bosman and she told us to do what we did at practice, don't be scared, stand up straight, open your legs, be grounded and affirmed, count to 5, take a deep breath and relax, then perform and then after you can sit, when you're done you'll get your certificate. Mrs. Bosman trusted me, she had deep confidence in me. I loved her and her encouragements. I went on the stage and did the best that I could. 3 more learners from my school went and then we were handed our certificates. There were learners who got Diplomas at the time but it wasn't a lot, it's difficult to get a Diploma when you are 7 or 8. A Diploma certificate was prestigious. It had a red scr...

Mbalenhle 2008 and I am the new kid at school, I am in a foreign environment, everything is different, the kids are different, the culture at school is different, we have white kids here and the kids can bring their cellphones to school. That's unbelievable! At my previous school, you couldn't bring your cellphone to school, that was forbidden but when you got to the 7th grade, you had your own toilets that nobody else could use! Reserved only for the seniors of the schools, exclusively for grade 7's, nobody else used them. The toilets were nicer, they were cleaner and they smelt good. Afterschool when everybody went home, I would use the toilets reserved only for the grade 7's. It was a dream to be a senior and to be able to use those toilets. I never did, I left when I was in the 6th grade. Maybe I should have stayed one more year and concluded my primary education there, if not for the education then at least for the toilets. I was popular, I was the best...

SCHOOL SCHOOL now available on Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLks7jD_Oj0j83SFOMlNydiU5XoE-KSVMX The great man ANTAKALIPA