I have a Jamaican family.
There are 3 women, Grandmother, daughters, son in law and about 4 kids.
For years after a full breakfast and when I have had enough of the beach and water,
I head for the neighborhood.
My Jamaican friends and I end up just Laughing, joking, listening to music.
The kids are all over me.
Dollar store toys are such a big hit for the wee ones.
I Being a big kid at heart I always wander up and down the toy aisle
of any large store I happen to be in at home in Chicago.
"Mark, we came here for Blah, blah, blah. What are you looking for?" folks say.
They just didn't know i was thinking about the cool little toys and how much my little
nephews and nieces in Jamaica would LOVE to have this or that.
Alot of my luggage is stuffed with little things.
So, I always wanted to see what the schools were like.
This trip I packed a razor. I brought nice business shirts and slacks and my black shoes, trust me they were shined to the max this A.M.
Hmmm,
Negril All Age school. I know where that is.
After I was dressed, I went out to the road, got the oohs and ahhs from the local taxi dudes.
"You going to church mon?
"No, ....to school"
Hee hee, just let them try and figure that one out.
Just before I hopped in the taxi, I called my Mama G.
"No Mark, they changed schools, now they attend the St. Hope Preparatory School"
Whew, that was close!
Got to the school and sat down with the Administrator/Principal.
Introduced myself, told her that my nieces and nephews were students and
I was on a long vacation, so I am here to volunteer.
After a little interrogation, she showed me to a class.
There was a teacher who had to fill in for an absent teacher and handle 2 classes.
"Oh thank god you came today" She said.
She gave me a workbook, showed me the outline and had started some Math equations
on the black board.
Soon she said, "Ta ta, have fun"
I knew that Math was not gonna work for me.
The students were half way through the first math assignment.
When they found out I was the substitute, well, lets say
"fun was had by all".
8-9 year olds, about 4 boys and 6 girls.
I immediately went to reading and writing.
"Literature" I said.
"You must learn to read and write and understand what others are writing about."
I had them walking up to the board conjugating verbs, blah, blah.
After lunch things changed.
They were out of their seats,they were pushing, trying to go up to the board out of turn.
They all wanted to be next, to show off their skills.
I was grabbing shirt collars and sleeves.
One of the best things was when I wrote my name on the board,
They asked me Sir, "Can we call you Sir?"
Sir, all day long, Sir this and Sir that.
I thought I was Sidney Poitier in the movie to Sir with Love. It was great!!
"Can I step out for some water, Sir?"
If I heard that once, I heard it a thousand times.
Wait, sit, not now, one moment, where? for what?
But, I loved every second of it.
Those kids thought they had me, but the pleasure was all mine.
