Malam

Abstract

It always upset Mama that I was not as smart as some of the other children who were always announced to assembled parents as taking first, second, and third places in the order of end-of-year class performance. On the last day of every term in our school, it was traditional to invite parents to the school auditorium to witness the ritual that honored the academic performance of their children. Since this end of semester ritual was one of the popular events in Itu, adult attendance was often impressive; many in attendance who had no children in the school just attended because it was the highlighted event in the town. The presentation of names started with class one children, who were also the youngest. The teacher would mount the podium and announce the first three names. Those first three students always went up to the podium and stood beside their class teacher in the order of their placement. The assembled parents applauded their achievement, and the headmaster would then present the children with drinking cups, plastic bowls, or pencils. Successive teachers would mount the podium and announce the names of their students. After the event, it was always clear who the smart children were because they carried their prizes everywhere they went.