(At the beginning of every school year some children will write stories, essays, poems, about their new teacher, their class mates, summer vacations, whats on their mind, anything that reflects or is an influence towards them. Michealanne Benjamin now a grade 3 student of Alwyn A. Richardson primary school proudly speaks about herself, the things she loves, dislikes and enjoys doing the best as a child at this tender age.)
STILL GROWING UP AS A CHILD
The new school year has begun and this is the 4th week of the new school term. I am already preparing for it. But first of all I must give thanks to God for sparing my life to see my 8th birthday, my mom, my dad, my brothers, my coaches, my teachers, adopted aunties and uncles, family friends in Anguilla, abroad and all those who were and are still playing a great part in my life in order to make me thus far successful, in my academics and sporting activity. As a grade 3 student, I enjoy reading interesting story books, newspapers, listening to radio programs including Heartbeat Radio 97.7fm, especially “THE KIDDYS CORNER” with Mr. Iwandi Gumbs every morning during the week and PJD2 “ADVENTURES AND BOOKLAND” 1300am on Saturday morning in St. Maarten my land of birth with Mr. Gibson.
Running, singing, dancing, swimming are also some of my hobbies but tennis, I have a passion for it. My dream one day is to become a world champion tennis player, if my lord and savior Jesus Christ permits me to do so by granting me great health, peace of mind and happiness throughout my years on earth.
I enjoy playing tennis because it is fun, it helps me to keep focus and to have a good positive attitude towards my academics and sports in general, my friends here in Anguilla and abroad, my neighborhood, at Church, as a Rainbow now a Brownie, my school “Alwyn A. Richardson Primary school”, Awana Club, The Anguilla Tennis Academy or wherever I go. Umm!! thinking about tennis.
It has been almost four years since I am attending the Anguilla Tennis Academy and I have learned so many skills and have lots of fun playing the game “jail break” and “kids and paces”. It helps me to keep my eyes more focus on the balls that coach Denny or coach George hit with their tennis racket towards us. Every Friday afternoon, once the weather is good, I always look forward to play some of those games.
Tennis is one of my favourite sports and I try to learn all the various techniques my coaches taught me, I always watch tennis games on television especially when the “ Williams sisters” are competing against other Tennis champions, since the age of four and half years old.
In my spare time I will pick up some balls, any type or size of a handy piece of wood then hit then one ball after another against the wall or gate towards the house before I was enrolled at the Anguilla Tennis Academy afternoon program. I can recall everytime my mother drove pass that area for some reason, I would always say to my mother, Mummy can you please turn right or left depending on whichever direction she is driving on the Blowing Point road so I could watch the children playing tennis.
Then one afternoon after watching one of the coaches and the children on the court of the Anguilla Tennis Academy having great fun, I told my mother, “can you please ask the coach if I can play too”. It was “Coach Carlyd” a past Tennis coach at the Academy.” I recalled seeing my mother looking at me smiling, after I mentioned that to her. She walked across to the court fence saying excuse me coach, good afternoon can you please give me some imformation concerning this activity. My daughter is very interested and she would like to be a part of your program, at that time niether of us knew him or his name. I saw him saying something to the children before appoaching my mother, they both had a brief chat about me and how I can become a part of his program while I watched the other children playing on the other courts. My mother then called me, holding my hands saying you are such a blessed child, your wish will be granted I am going to the office to pick up a registration form for you to join the program. I was so excited hearing this. I wanted to be a great tennis playing some day, taekwon-do also is one of my hobbies but playing tennis I love it the best. I remember at the age of 5, I was in K5 while attending Central Christian School my fingers was squeeze between my mother’s car door and I couldn’t play tennis for a while because my mother didn’t want me to hurt my finger again even though it was bandage and I thought I can still play. So, I went to ask coach Mitch if I can play by showing him my hands and he told me no Michealanne give it one more week to heal. I went back to my mother’s car crying and that time she was coming towards the car, saw me crying and asked what’s wrong my dear, and when I told her what coach Mitch told me at the school gate she cracked up with laughter. I thought she was mean and funny also, but as I grew I realised they all were only protecting me and helping me to be safe. I grew to love my coaches and I have lots of fun with them but most of all I love coach Mitch. He is one of the best coaches ever because he loves all his children at the tennis academy, sometimes he will become stern with us but at the end he always speaks to us for our own good and help us as well.
I wrote this little poem about him at home, when I was in grade 2.
Coach Mitch
M – meek and mild coach Mitch may be, he like us more when we are mannerly.
I -ignorant kids he don’t ignore because it is important for him to scold.
T – That teacher he be, he thinks for we, and thank you coach for taking we, so tolerating but tough he can be, you are the best teacher for we.
C – Caring, coaching, correcting we that’s how he shows his concern for we.
H – Holding our heads as high as heaven I pray to god to bless him with great health and happiness too.
As a primary school student my years at both Prophecy pre- school and Central Christian School was the best I ever had but now at Alwyn A. Richardson primary school, sigh! It is very challenging. I tried to adopt the public school system but so far I haven’t because some of the children are bullies, some says mean stuff and are very mean to me. “I dislike bullies”. I do hope this year will be a better school year for me as well as for those who are thinking and in the same frame of mind as I am. I miss all my friends and past teachers such as Tr. Thelma (Prophecy pre-school), Tr. Petal and Tr. Baron (Central Christian School), and most of all, my grade 2 teacher, Tr. Marian, “The school I am presently attending.” but as for teacher Laurie, she will not be miss because it seems to me, she will be in every grade, I will be promoted to and I am happy so far, my grade 3 teacher now is “Tr. Michael” and I can not say much about him as yet.
Well, well, well ask about my parents. I do hope I can relate good to that. My mother will always be who she is and nothing can change that, but sometimes she can become too overreacting towards me and others as well, she is such a phenomenal woman, I use that term to describe her. I overheard one of her friends saying that to her and when they left I ask her what is the meaning of that word? She explained it to me by breaking it down for my own understanding and I couldn’t help telling her, “but, mummy that the way I see you too sometimes,” you do act strange or unusual with me too as your child, but all she did was, burst out with laughter. She is a very kindhearted and cool individual but stern at times and that I don’t understand. She is straight-forward and very, very, very much outspoken, in order to understand her, you will have to be a very close family member or friend for some period of time, she is not an easy nut to crack, and if you don’t know her you can take things out of context and personal.
Whenever I do well or good things she will rewards me. But! After rewarding me and, if I slip up, again, there she goes, I am being punished, that is what I cannot understand “Wow! That spilt personality” I am her child why behave in that manner towards your child. Even my friends and other children have to shape up too if you want to be around her, there is no exceptional.
I sometime called my oldest brother Mugabe for advice because he understand her and children at my age as well, but he always told me on the phone “Oh mother!!” she never play with us when we were your age and older she was worst back then, than now she is a no non-sense woman, don’t you ever take her for granted, just hang in there when you grow up you will understand but so far I don’t get it. At times I would write small notes or letters to her telling her how much I love her and I will like her to live to see me grow up to be a wonderful child.
Many times I overheard her saying “I came from the old school, I been there and done that, it is either you stay and burn or cut and run.” What are you trying to do? Fool me! Never-the-less I love and adore her dearly she is my mother the best woman I recall every day of my life.
As for my dad and 3 older brothers I cannot say much because they lived overseas.
Most of the time on several occasions, somewhere, anywhere, and everywhere you can see both of us once I am not in school, Sunday school, at Awana club, afternoon classes, swimming or some class or activities I am enrolled in, you will always see “mother” as my brothers called her, if she is not at work and I, driving out, at the beach, dining, shopping or doing something together. She is too over protective where I am concern with her only daughter and baby girl Miki as she calls me. When I feel bored, I will find myself writing little songs or poems on scraps of paper then put them away because I do not want “Mother” to see them because most of the time it’s about us, the evil of some wicked people towards her, the world, or what I go through in school, but somehow or the other she will find them “mother” always have her eyes on me sometime when I think she is not looking there she is in my little world spying on me.
I write almost everything I see, what I do or hear what mean people do to me or her and I get emotional and began to cry, but for mother she don’t cry so easily maybe because she is an adult. Sometimes I eavesdrop on her conversation because I learn at a faster pace and ask her many questions that I think will help me in the future….Bing Bang!! “Is it a bell? well! That’s the way my story end.”
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
