A Punctuality Wake-Up Call.
Growing up with my parents was a beautiful experience, as I never had to go to school late.
My parents would ensure we were all up by 5:30 am as we said our morning devotion and began our daily routine of house chores as they were both civil servants who had the intent of beating morning traffic, and that became a lifestyle for us too.
One day, they both had to travel for the funeral of my maternal grandmom and left us with our aunt around the hood.
My aunt was a housewife who woke up very late and had to ensure the house was taken care of before leaving for school. "It's 5:30 a.m.; why are you up so early? Go back to sleep, please; we will be up by 6:30 am," she reprimanded me and my siblings when we tried to wake up as early as we did when we were at home.
One Monday morning, I remember going to school very late, even after waking up so early to prepare for school.
"Get down on your knees," the punctuality prefect commanded me, and being a junior student, I had no choice but to obey.
"Please, I am sorry. I waited for my friends; that's why I came late." I pleaded, hoping Zainab the punctuality prefect would be merciful; unfortunately, the more we pleaded, the more furious she became.
"Shut up all of you; today I'll teach you a lesson." Zainab came closer with a little cane in her hands. "You, you and you... get up and follow me," she pointed at me and two other students behind me.
We got up and followed her to the school field, which was looking so untidy. We had our inter-house sport the previous day, so the field was filled with so many biscuits and sachets of water wrappers.
"Pick up all the litter on the ground; you have just fifteen minutes to do that," Zainab said authoritatively.
She began walking around to ensure we all joined hands to clean up the school field, and anyone found lazying around received two strokes of the came on their buttocks.
I quickly picked up the biscuit wrappers and sachet water nylons I found around because I dreaded canes so much. I ensured to pick up a reasonable amount of dirt as I showed her my hands. "Senior, see what I've been able to pick." I innocently called her attention in my direction.
"Okay, that's enough. Go wash up your hands over there and hurry up to your class," she replied as she continued inspecting other students.
Twenty minutes later, the school field was looking so neat as I could see it through the glass window in my class. "If anyone comes late tomorrow, I'll ensure they weed these grasses, and then I'll top it up with six strokes of the cane each," Zainab's voice resounded, and then I knew it was about time I began my house chores on time, even if my aunt didn't see the need to be punctual to avoid coming late to school again. I kept praying my parents arrived on time so I wouldn't have to face the consequences of coming late to school ever again.
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Ahhh I never got used to that lack of punctuality punishment, picking dirt or clearing off grasses 😅 I dread that work so much that no one taught me to be punctual after one experience.
Good you knew better not to go late to school anymore... Is the "I waited for my friends" part for me? 😂 Who sent you to wait for late comers?
Hehe, I don't think anyone gets used to it haha, I dreaded cane so much that I avoided anything that would warrant flogging hehe.
Thank you for reading.
😀😀😀 sorry you had to go through that and in a way you learned your lessons not to wait for your latecomer friends.
Hehe, thanks for stopping by.
It is unfair to have to receive a punishment without being guilty, but because it was due to someone else. In life we will have to face situations like this many times. I hope your parents have arrived soon to avoid a new punishment.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Thanks for sharing.
Good day.
Thank you for reading through.
Someone had punctuality lessons and unexpected consequences...lol.
Waking up early, doing house chores, and still facing the wrath of the punctuality prefect definitely all because you had to wait for my friends could have pissed me off if I was in your shoes. But it's good you learned your lessons..hehehe
I did learn hehe. Thank you for stopping by.
Zainab is wicked, lol! But I think just that's how they instill discipline in school. No excuse could pass through them, hehe. I imagine you never went to school late after that experience :)
!LUV
Hahahhaa, Zainab is very strict and that helped a lot of students to be disciplined. Thanks for stopping by ma'am
Hope you parents got back in time for you not to weed the grasses 😃? Thank you for sharing #dreemerforlife
I think most of us 'enjoyed' some lashes of cane from the punctuality prefect. Good thing Zainab made you clean the field. My prefect was more interested in flexing muscles and using his cane! So I avoided him as much as possible by arriving school early enough. Hehe. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Somehow they instilled discipline in us hehe, I learned a lot just that day. Thank you for stopping by.
Hahah, this reminds me of old good days. Waiting for our friends hardly ever goes well because they don't ever get ready in time and we all get punished and sometimes just us 😂.
Being punctual is really good, lateness doesn't have any benefits except in rare cases.
#dreemport brought me here
I learned a big lesson here, hehe. Thank you for stopping by.