Article #28 in the YCC Kids Club Ghana Student Life Stories Project
Sweeping, Singing, and Saying Poems in My First Day of Kindergarten
By Edor Hannah, Age 12
My father and I walked through a green field and past some bleating goats. We were on the way to my first day at Sogasco Government School Kindergarten!
First, we entered the head teacher’s office for a short interview. Then my father paid my Developmental Levy money, and my name was officially written in the register. At that moment I became a pupil of Sogasco! We walked home happy.
The next morning, my mother bathed me with buckets of water and I took my breakfast: tea with koko corn porridge. Then I walked to the school alone, because even though I was young, the building was not far.
When I reached Sogasco, I saw the other students sweeping, so I went and took a broom and started sweeping, too. “Scratch! Scratch!” went the sound of the twig broom on the earth. Because I did not know how to sweep, I did it very poorly. But I was not sad because I knew I would improve with practice.
When we finished sweeping, we gathered the rubbish and sent it to the refuse dump to be burned. After that, a bell rang calling the pupils to form a line according to their height and classes. I was told by a teacher to join the nursery. We prayed, then sang the Ghana National Anthem: “A nation strong in unity… With our gifts of mind and strength of arm…”
I didn’t know how to sing the National Anthem so I was just opening my mouth without words!
Then we marched to our classrooms. Once there, we were taught some poems and were made to sing and dance. I did well among my colleagues and so the teacher asked me to recite a poem for her. I was able to do so, and she rewarded me with biscuits!
During break, my classmates played with me and I gave them part of my food to eat: waakye, which is rice and beans. They also gave me part of their food. I felt friendships growing.
When we were about to close, our teacher called out our names from the register and taught us to respond thus: “Present, Madam!”
At one o’clock in the afternoon, my sister came to take me home. I told my sister as we walked out of the tree grove surrounding Sogasco Kindergarten: “School has made me happy!”
Lillie’s Note: Please leave a comment for Hannah on her sweet article, stating your geographic location!
I really enjoyed this article. I’m so happy that your first day went over well for you. Thank you for writing this. I really enjoyed hearing about your first day of kindergarten. You seemed like you had a lot of fun!
Hannah, thank you for writing this article. I’m glad that your first day of kindergarten went so well.I was wondering how well your other first-days-of-school went for instance the year after kindergarten. How much different were they?
Wow! School sounds so fun there! I’m glad that Hannah had fun in kindergarten but now and as she grows older the school system’s will get tougher and she will have to work even harder. I hope her friends didn’t move so she can still be friends with them and share food. I still don’t believe in sharing food because what if one of her friends doesn’t wash her hands and put’s her hand in the food? Then Hannah would get sick. If their her true friends I hope they wash their hands so Hannah and them don’t get sick. Thanks for posting this article.
Yay! School!
Hi Hannah, I live in Washington DC, but right now I am in Accra! I loved your story. It was very detailed and descriptive. I also like your honest disclosure: “I didn’t know how to sing the National Anthem so I was just opening my mouth without words!” I also liked how specific you were, mentioning koko and waakye – two foods I regularly take myself! Keep up the good work. – Phil
Hannah, Thanks for sharing your story with us. I’m from the USA. I liked how you shared your food with your classmates and thus created a bond with them. I also liked how you and your classmates took a broom and swept and thus helped make your environment cleaner and safer.
Luddy Sr. said…
Hannah,
What a nice way to make friends in a new place, but sharing food with each other. I always dreaded the first day of school. I would be so nervous. You were able to adjust quickly and were happy at the end of the very first day. It took me a little longer. But each day got better and better.
Thanks for sharing your story.
-Kwabla (Connecticut, USA)
March 28, 2010 10:05 AM
Hannah said…
Hannah,
I am from the state of Iowa in the USA, and my name is Hannah too! I very much enjoyed reading your article. Making new friends is one of the best things about school! It is certainly my favorite part. I always loved the first day of school, and now that I’m in college I love the first day of each class, each semester.
-Hannah S.
March 31, 2010 12:48 AM