Despite a summer holiday that has been shortened to just one month, younger children are generally looking forward to going back to school because, after all, schools have not been open due to COVID-19 since January and classes only resumed in May for about two and a half months.
“I’ve played enough,” said Himson, who will be in Primary 6 at Colégio Dom Bosco (Yuet Wah) when his school begins on Friday, told The Macau Post Daily yesterday.
Besides playing video games and going on staycations, Himson spent his holiday learning to swim, as it is a school requirement for him to go up to P6. Himson said he was excited to go back to school where he would be able to read novels and manga from the library there.
Himson’s sister Kate, who begins K3 at Colégio de Santa Rosa de Lima today, said that she’s got new stationary, a new uniform, a new pair of shoes and a new schoolbag to start the new school year.
“I want to go back to school, I miss the playground,” Kate said.
Summer school is fun, school isn’t
Several children, aged 3 to 9, attending summer school in Fai Chi Kei in July and August told The Macau Post Daily last week that summer school was fun as they did experiments, drew pictures, played exercise games, watched videos and listened to stories but insisted that school in general is boring.
During a drawing lesson where they had to connect the dots, Brianna said that doing the zebra was “too difficult” and she wanted to draw the sun which the younger children were doing. Her friend, Sian, reminded her that “we are going to be in P1 when we go back to school so we have to be able to do everything”, to which Brianna replied, “I don’t want to go back to school, I want to come here every day.”
When the other children in the class, there were about 30, were asked their thoughts on going back to school, they either didn’t want to, or wanted to so they could see their friends, but said that a couple of days would be enough.
Hate school, too much homework
Secondary school pupils attending private lessons in the Avenida de Horta e Costa area were of pretty much the same opinion as the summer school children.
Two boys, Elvis and Byron, who will be in Form 2 at Chan Sui Ki Perpetual Help College when school restarts, were in agreement that they hated school and “never want to go back again, ever”.
Chris, who will be in Form 3 at Yuet Wah College, was more concerned about having to get up early and about all the homework curtailing the time he could play computer games.
Matthew starts Form 5 at Pui Ching Middle School today, and he complained about the amount of homework he would have, especially maths. But for him the only bright thing on the horizon was that “I only have 16 months to go at that school and then I am free for good!”
This photo provided by Himson and Kate’s mother yesterday shows children learning to swin in a pool in Taipa last month.
Children take part in a summer school activity in Fai Chi Kei district last week. Photo: Lesley Wells
