Standing Room - The children speak

‘Education involved a lot of standing
in those days. Adults
were always popping their heads round the door
and bombarding us with questions.’

‘Cowed and in a daze
we’d raise ourselves and politely wait
before being given permission to speak.
We’d stand an hour, a day, a week!
- such control they had over us.’

‘Young fists were often clenched.
Poor hands were rarely raised.’

‘We asked no questions.
Why would we?’

‘Daily, in morning assembly,
we’d duly praise the Lord
for all that we were truly grateful for,
Amen

and then the talkers and the fidgeters,
the latecomers and the badly behaved
would be called to the front
and made an example of.’

‘It was the left hand,
not the right writing hand,
that felt the wrath of the cane
though some were told to bend
and have their buttocks beaten.’

‘Ah, those were the days
were they not!’

‘Amen,
amen, and amen
again! I’m surprised
that we could stand it.’