Hartley Neita

Two Saturdays ago, I returned to my childhood village for one of those sad occasions we all hope we do not have to do. But must.

This was the thanksgiving service for a man who was one of my early mentors and heroes, Martin Waddell, a cricketer and a hero in that community. He once had the legendary George Headley, plumb leg-before-the wicket, but sadly for him my father was the umpire who denied the appeal.

Martin Waddell, the ultimate gentleman said to him quietly: "Teacher, I think you should change your eye-glasses." To which my father said: "Martin, the crowd that's here today came to see George Headley bat; not to see you bowl."

After the funeral service, my son took me for a quick spin through the village. We stopped at the entrance to my old elementary school. A sign at the entrance now named it: "Four Paths Junior High School."

Games I played

A quick glance showed what seemed like a crowd of buildings which was not the memory of my youth. Schools should, I think, have space to run around and play chevy-chase, bat-and-ball, skip, and cashew-and-taw (one day I'll tell you what that was). We then left and made a quick search for a new basic school which I discovered recently was built in the community through the help of the CHASE Foundation. I am sure Carlton Davis, who is its chairman and who is also from my village, had something to do with it.

Unfortunately, I did not find it.

The fact, however, that my village which had just about 200 residents in my youth, now has a junior high, primary and basic school gave me a good-feel. My village is coming of age. Mark, in my time there were only elementary, secondary, technical, practical training centres and teacher training colleges. Now there are infant, basic, primary, all-age, junior highs, secondary highs, senior, technical highs, comprehensives, institutes, and probably more. Oh yes, we now have universities, too, if you please. And on-line education. What next?

While returning to Kingston from my village, I reflected on the beginning of my education. My father was the head teacher of the elementary school and we lived in the teacher's cottage next door. So, from the age of three or thereabout when I became conscious of sound and its various forms, I was hearing the children counting one, two, three, adding one plus one is two, two plus two is four, dividing four by two is two, and six by two is three, multiplying two times two is four, two times three is six, and spelling mat and cat and bat. And by the way, cricket was the passion of my village then, and the word bat was a cricket bat and not the flying mammal.

Advanced child

We did not have basic or infant schools in my village then. Admission to Elementary schools was at the age of seven. So at that age I was way ahead of children of my age. They were learning to spell and read and add and divide and multiply for the first time. I could do these things, with my eyes shut as one would say.

With the technology we now have, we could play the sounds I learned in my babyhood years for children of that age today and quicken their education even before they enter infant and basic schools.

That's my suggestion of the week, Miss Maxine.