Remembering School

What  memories do we have of school? Are they memories that make us smile or make us flinch? Children spend a large quantity of their time within the walls of the school, they should leave with at least one pleasant memory of having been there. I speak of a highly enriching day, week, year they will never forget.
 Sure, many students have lots of fun while attending schools on St. Kitts. Some remember the school taking them on hikes. We know that many schools on St. Kitts organize walk-a-thons, which are fun for the children who do attend, but these walk-a-thons are really not for the children to enjoy themselves, the pleasure is coincidental. They are for raising funds to keep the school functional. That the children enjoy the event is more incidental than purposeful. Not that there is anything wrong with having walk-a-thons in order to top up the schools' finances, but what of the students who are simply unable to attend because they are unable to come up with the fee and the right outfit, and so have no memories of having gone on a school walk-a-thon because her parents did not have the money? Walk-a-thons cost money. The child must wear the correct shoes and the appropriate clothing. Not everyone can afford these, and so that is one pleasant memory of school which is beyond the reach of at least one child.
 But what about the schools' sports day? Could school children have pleasant memories of their experience at school through the prism of the school's sports day? Yes they can, but again, this requires money. The child is met at the entrance of the venue with  a demand for cash. In fact, there is hardly an event held by any school at which money from school children's pockets is not required. Sure the children walk away with fond memories if they are able to locate the funds.
 Children grow up and leave school with wonderful memories of great teachers who made lessons interesting, whose personalities were warm, welcoming and friendly, but it would be great if schools could leave deeper impressions on more minds of those who spend so many years of life on school premises.
 I know one teacher who took her class to Paris, and as long as those children live, they will never forget that unmatchable experience. A trip of that nature, though, requires money and lots of it.
There are times when I wish we understood that although providing a masterly academic foundation is good for students, providing them with an opportunity to encounter life changing memory through life changing experiences and encounters is of equal significance. What if entire communities wherever  schools exist, combine to give a select group of students a single experience of a lifetime: A trip to Russia, Africa, Japan or  China, a chance to tour the Caribbean islands, or witness the Botswana  migration of zebras. What if class of books and pencils was suspended one day so students could go watch the nesting of sea turtles on that night?
 Our most pleasant memories are as large as the size of  our dreams. School has the most suitable soil for planting memories.