Alice Hates School

Alice was on her way home, returning from a long, tedious period at school. It is always like that: for some reason, every morning, Dad takes her to that big place called "school", in which she has to spend an enormous amount of time when she could be playing in the backyard instead. Why does Dad do that? Whenever she asked, he would always reply with, "Because it is fun! I know you like it, don't you?" No, I do not!

But today, there was something different. For a brief moment, only for a very little, tiny moment, there was something... not boring? Right before Dad came today, the teacher was showing the class a little thingy that would make fun noises, and she even managed to play the music of a TV show Alice absolutely loved! It caught her attention instantly, and all the boredom suddenly vanished. Maybe Dad has been talking about this day all along?

On the way to the car, Alice was determined to demand (exactly, no asking politely!) Dad to answer it. Did he and the teacher combine it so that she would have to admit school was actually fun? She has to make sure this isn't the case!

What if, after she confesses she liked today's lesson, the teacher would never again bring that music-making object? Every day would be boring again! No, she was determined: she had to ask Dad about it.

But one thing disturbed her from such determination. As they walked towards the car, a line of ants caught Alice's attention as she wondered how those tiny insects could carry those big leaves, and even more, how they could walk in that perfect line. Even she, a fully grown 6-year-old, struggled to maintain her order in school's lines!

No talking to Dad about it! No talking to Dad about it! Asking him how ants could do it would only result in him saying, "You will learn more about it in school!", and she couldn't help but feel the urge to ask the teacher. No, no more school for today.

But wasn't there something she wanted to ask before? Something about... what was it again? Was it about the ants? Alice couldn't remember anymore, so she decided it was best to put it aside. As they were getting closer and closer to home, all she could think of was watching her favourite TV show! And that is exactly what happened.

They got home, Alice dropped all her stuff on the sofa and rushed towards the living room, where the TV was. The show had already started when she turned the TV on, and Alice was afraid she would miss the intro. She loves that song so much that it would ruin her day to miss it! Fortunately, she made it just in time to hear the best part of the music, those last 10 seconds are... wait, I wanted to talk to Dad about it! Teacher played this music today on that strange object earlier, before the ants appeared!

She rushed back to where Dad was, tidying up the mess she had left behind. "Dad, there is something I demand you answer me!"

"Oh, you demand me to answer it? I'd better get it correctly, then?" Replied Dad, smiling. Alice couldn't understand how he could smile under the pressure of being demanded anything, but she continued.

"I know you asked Teacher to take that thing to school today! The one that makes the song from TV!"

Although her father was confused, he decided to play along and said, "Oh no, you caught me! Will you ever forgive your old Dad for such a mischievous action?"

"I forgive you! But only if you tell Teacher to take that thing tomorrow again!"

"Did I understand it correctly? Does it mean you liked the lesson today?"

Alice blushed. She gave it away so easily! The worst had just happened, because now that she actually liked anything about going to school, letting Dad know it would only prove it true.

"No, I didn't. It is just that Teacher brought us a strange toy, and she even played the song from TV, so I was..." She didn't want to finish the sentence. "I was..."

"Happy?" Dad said it. Alice didn't want to admit it, but she was happy about that lesson, and she did want to come back the next day to listen to the songs again.

"No. I was not bored. That's it."

Her father laughed. It always amazed him how Alice was reluctant to admit she liked going to kindergarten. But also, it always encouraged him to try to pull her interest even more, to the point she could comfortably say she does like school.

"Okay, then. You say your teacher was playing the song from TV today? What was she playing it on? Can you remember?"

"Of course I can remember! It was a little bit like a candle, but the tip was different, and there was no fire. And she blew into it, as if the candle was whistling."

As Alice described the instrument, her father asked her to wait for a while and went upstairs. Coming back, Alice noted he was holding a candle very similar to the one the teacher showed her today. Blown in enthusiasm, she started jumping in her place.

"We have one too? Let me try it, please?"

"Sure, but let me teach you a little about it before." As her father took her and the instrument to the sofa, he explained, "This is a musical instrument called a flute. Do you remember the instruments? I have already told you about them. You can make sound by blowing in here and change the sound by pressing your fingers onto these holes over here..."

He calmly explained to Alice how the flute worked, and after she managed to make her first few notes, he taught her to play the simple melody featured in her show's intro. It took Alice all day to finally meet her expectations, and by the time she was sure she could play the melody along with the TV, she called her father out.

"Dad, I will play it with the TV!"

"But the show has already ended by now, Alice."

Oh, no! Alice had forgotten about the TV and spent the whole day trying to learn that stupid instrument, and it was all the teacher's fault. Hadn't she shown her the flute in today's lesson, Alice would have had time to watch TV just as she does every day.

"I really don't like school."