Lunch

Lee studied the four outstanding children in a slight daze.

Just what sort of education had these kids been through before this? From what he knew, this was their first formal education. They had not entered pre-school (or kindergarten, as it is known in some places) so they must have had private tutoring.

But for them to be this advanced?

He wondered just how much they really knew.

Just as Teacher Lee was thinking of this seriously, the school bell rang, indicating that it was lunchtime. Teacher Lee stood up and clapped his hands, saying, "Everyone, that is the sound of the lunch bell. When you hear it again, it is the end of lunch."

Everyone sat quietly, their eyes bright thinking of lunch.

"Now, please line up outside, two by two," Teacher Lee instructed. He then gestured to the four to follow everyone out.

By default, each 'couple' were the kids that sat next to each other at the table. Teacher Lee made a headcount, double-checked that there were no kids inside the room and then smiled as he said, "Okay, now hold your partner's hand and follow me."

Holding hands ensured that no one got lost, even though they were walking side-by-side. It also cultivated a sense of comradeship and responsibility for each other, upon which Teacher Lee said, "You take care of your partner while walking. Be careful and not walk too fast or too slow."

They followed their teacher obediently, and quietly, like little ducks (or chicken) following their mother. He led them to the canteen and taught them how to line up.

"As Primary 1 students," Teacher Lee explained to them as they lined up, "Your meals are provided for. You will come here every day for your meals."

He pointed at an item that seemed to be a panel that had a screen and it was rectangular in shape. It was just at their height and he said, "Look at the screen here."

Alex was the first, so he did.

The blank screen suddenly lit up, and Teacher Lee said, "Put your face in the circle there."

Alex did so and soon, a mechanical voice sounded, "Alexander Smith, Primary 1 Van Goh. Meal 3."

There were sounds of oooohh and aaaaahh from the kids behind.

"That identifies who you are and lets the canteen know what meal you are getting," Teacher Lee explained, "Your parents have already indicated and chosen your meals for you, so you only need to pick it up."

Alex then moved to the counter and was handed a tray with food on it. He stared at it, noting that it was a meat sandwich with wholegrain bread. There was lettuce and tomato in it, and he also got a serving of fruit. Water was plain water and he nodded in approval.

Alex didn't really like eating out and preferred one-dish sort of meals such as sandwiches or pasta. So this was just what he liked. He looked at his sister and noted that she got whole grain spaghetti with a side of salad, and a portion of fruits.

School meals adhered to the nutrient-based standard which sets out precise requirements such as calorific value, minimum levels of key nutrients such as iron, calcium, and carbohydrate and maximum levels of salt, fat, and sugar.

In addition, they would need to have portions of vegetables or salad and fruits every day. Whole grain food would be the food of choice as compared to refined carbohydrates and water was to be plain water. Fruit juice, if served, would not be often and in portions of no more than 150ml.

Naturally, deep-fried, battered or breadcrumbed food and pastry products could only be served twice a week. In fact, they did not deep fry their foods anymore but air fried it and that gave them more variety.

Due to his high-intensity training, Alex required slightly more protein than normal and he noted that his sandwich actually had an egg dressing in it. He figured correctly that his father must have arranged that his meals would be slightly different from the others due to his dietary requirements.

Ziad, being Muslim, also had special requirements though it didn't mean that only he could have such meals. In response to more of Country Tz's citizens being Muslims, schools now would have kosher meat and used olive oil instead of animal-based oil. This was also healthier and was quickly embraced by the schools.

It did not mean that pork or any of the 'forbidden' food was not served anymore, but it merely provided alternatives for those who could not eat such food.

The purpose was harmony and not to make anyone feel like one particular group had more importance and that their own preference was not taken care of. Just because one group couldn't eat what you wanted, did not mean that you were prevented from doing so.

Tolerance, understanding, compromisation.

It wasn't taught explicitly but made as part of their daily life and that is how the soft skills are imparted.

Currently, Ziad had a beef sandwich as well but it did not have any egg dressing. In addition, he had milk rather than plain water as he needed extra calcium.

Shirley had the same as Aurora while Shane had porridge that had shredded chicken in it and a side dish of salad and fruit.

Shirley stared at Shane's meal and then at Shane who was eating silently.

By default, the kids from Van Goh who were from the same table in class, chose to sit together at the dining table in the canteen. Teacher Lee took note of this as he stood there to watch them all sit down before he left.

It was only natural that the kids would choose to sit with those that they knew, so he wouldn't say anything for now. If it persisted after a few months, then they would have to be encouraged to make more friends outside of their desk circle.

Getting to know other kids from other classes would not be a problem as they would often have activities with other classes to foster this. In addition, they would change seating arrangements within the class so that they wouldn't be too attached to the same deskmate.

Since the school was divided into three semesters, doing this was easy - and the reason why each Primary 1 class had three desk groups.

The only problem was, this year, there were four 'monsters' who may not be suitable to be in the class. It was something none of them had foreseen and in order to ensure that the kids got the best education, changes had to be made.

Once he noted that all of the kids had settled down, he told them, "When the bell tinkles again, it means that lunch is over. You are to go back to your class by yourself. If you do not know the way, then you can ask any adult."

18 pairs of eyes looked at him, some in apprehension, some in nervousness, and some in surprise. As expected, four pairs of eyes simply took what he said as normal and resumed eating.

Teacher Lee gave one last glance at them and headed to the teacher's lounge. There were a lot of things to talk about with the other teachers, and Teacher Alba. If this was not dealt with early, it would drag on and only delay their development.

Teacher Lee quickened his pace.

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After Teacher Lee left, the noise amongst the Primary 1 students got more. It was as if the kids were subconsciously lowering their voices with the presence of a teacher around, even though it was not class time.

Shirley, naturally, was talking non-stop.

"Shane, why are you eating porridge? Are you unwell?" she asked, tilting her head and pursing her lips a bit.

To her, porridge was yucky and only eaten when one is sick. Her mother said it is because it was light and was full of good things to help her body get well soon - but Shirley felt it was torture.

Yet, Shane was eating it like it was not.

"I'm okay," he answered softly.

Shane was feeling rather awkward and shy at that moment. Even though his deskmates seemed to be nice people, he could not overcome his nervousness.

The school was just so big and fancy.

Even when everyone is wearing the same uniform, he felt like he was out-of-place. The material was good and when he first got the uniform, he was in awe. It looked better than most of his clothes at home!

With that, he became both excited and nervous. So much so that he could not sleep properly as time got closer to school being opened. As a result, he had developed a slight fever the night before and overslept.

At first, his parents told him to rest at home but he could not. After finally convincing his parents to send him, he regretted it.

It made his entrance even more embarrassing.

Being late and having everyone stare at you when he first arrived had been so mortifying.

Even now, he could not overcome that hurdle.