Memories of SHS.

Dear Whit,

After waking up from a dream that made me miss Sacred Heart School, I went on the school group on facebook and browsed through pictures. I was flooded with memories and Lynn and I struggled for a while trying to remember people's names.

I miss Sacred Heart.

While I was still there I thought the school was a torture house - we had overly strict nuns running the place like white ghosts, insisting that long hair was to be tied back, that there were to be no colours other than blue, black and white, and every morning we had to stand in line in the heat, in height order, and listen to the prayer.

I never thought that one day I'd be missing the strict environment. I look back at high school here in Canada, and though I like the idea of a closer and more open teacher-student relationship and the freedom of students, sometimes I feel like most of the young people are slowly losing respect for their elders.

Like I remember how in Ms. Diaz's class, it was the students who took control of her classes most of the time. People would just walk in late, blasting their music, food in their hand and when Ms. Diaz would tell them off, they'd talk back.

Complete lack of respect.

I miss the way we were actually taught in Bahrain. Sure, they piled stuff on us. In Jr. 1 [Grade 1] we would be forced to learn things that the children in Canada wouldn't be learning till Grade 4. But I learnt how to spell properly and not mix up my "there, their, and they're". I learnt how to use proper grammar, write proper essays, and how to spell. They taught these things in Canada, but you wouldn't believe how many people still can't tell the difference between "your and you're". There are people my age who still can't spell ("grammer" instead of "grammar", "seriouse" instead of "serious") and those who mix up their words ("I taught I told you not to do that" or "My arms are soar").

They're not stupid - they just haven't been taught right.

In Bahrain they taught us things that, at that time, I thought were utterly useless. They forced us to stand in front of class reciting poems from the 1800's, write formal and informal letters, write speeches and then say them in front of class, make up stories just by looking at a picture ...

It was SHS that moulded me to become who I am today. I know how to spell. I know how to write. I know to respect my elders and not chew my food with my mouth open. I know the proper way to position my hands while reciting a poem. I know how to write a formal letter.

I know the difference between "there, their, they're" and "your, you're".

I know how to act in a fine-dining restaurant. I know which utensils to use first, and that if I drop one I should ask for a new one and never pick it up.

I learnt how to properly address my elders, how to be confident, how to respect. They taught us manners. I remember one of my teachers teaching me how to chew my food in Jr. 2. I'm glad she did - or else I'd be chewing with my mouth open right now. And trust me, there are a lot of people - grown up people - who do that.

They taught us more than just basic knowledge in SHS. And I miss that. I miss the teachers who stand out because they taught me life lessons on top of everything else ... Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Mendoza, Mrs. Chakravarti, Mrs. Advincula ...

I miss Sacred Heart. And I'm glad I went there.

We Belong [Sacred Heart School Song]

We belong, students of Sacred Heart
In thy school, Lord, we sing in honour and praise
Take, oh Lord, take each and every day
Teach us to love, teach us to give, teach us to pray
Guide our minds, when we're at work, we find so difficult
Knowing well we need to know all there's to know
Take our strengths, spent on the fields in anticipation
There's a victory to be won

We belong, students of Sacred Heart
Teach us to love, teach us to give, teach us to pray

Bless oh Lord, our dear parents, their every sacrifice
Bless oh Lord, our teachers too, their every toil
Keep oh Lord, under thy care this great big family
As we sing, praising thy name

We belong, students of Sacred Heart
Teach us to love, teach us to give, teach us to pray
Teach us to love, teach us to give, teach us to pray

---------------------

We are the loyal students of Sacred Heart School ...

... All the bells [all the bells]
Ringing tales [ringing tales]
Music choir [music choir]
Our song

All praise to thee
Honour and glory be ...

- Tha Nostalgic Boo