The First Grader
My people, my people.
Now, the new government
has announced
free education for all.
All they want is for you to turn up
with a birth certificate.
A government that keeps its promise?
Unbelievable!
My son needs to be educated.
Kamau Chege,
Kamau Chege. Chege!
Teacher Jane, Teacher Jane!
Come on, he's asking for you.
Please!
Teacher Katherine!
Teacher Katherine, can you come?
OK, give me a moment, please.
This is not a birth certificate.
Mama, you are not the first.
May I help you, mzee?
This is a primary school.
Mzee, they meant children, not adults.
No. I heard on the radio,
with my own ears.
They said everybody.
We have 200 students
and only 50 desks. Look at this.
We can't waste them on an old man
with one foot in the grave.
Mzee, where are your exercise books?
You need two,
and one HB pencil, sharp,
with a rubber on one end.
Those are the regulations.
Pole, mzee. Pole.
Good morning, boys and girls.
Good morning, madam!
- How are you?
- Fine, thank you, madam!
- How do you do?
- How do you do, madam?
I do very well, thank you.
I am so excited to have you here
all in my classroom.
Welcome. Karibuni.
Sit down, please.
Thank you, madam.
Now, I know that some of you
may be a little nervous,
but there's nothing to be afraid of.
so we are all here to have fun.
- Si ndiyo?
- Yes.
Alright, let me check.
Has everybody got their books?
- Yes!
- Very good!
- And has everybody got their pencils?
- Yes!
- OK. Good... I heard a few noes.
- Who said no?
OK, well, Francis, can you give out
some pencils, please?
OK...
Paris and Pauline,
come to the front, please.
So, everyone, tomorrow,
your books and your pencils.
- Yes.
- OK, very good, very good.
Sorry, sorry, excuse me.
Go home, mzee.
I can see you've had a hard life.
Go home and rest in peace.
Rest in peace?
I'm not dead.
Look, mzee...
My name is Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge.
Well, Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge,
we cannot accept anyone
without a school uniform,
and that means school shoes too.
And you do not have money
for such things.
Jane?
Mzee, why does someone as old as you
want to go to school?
I want to learn to read.
We've got too many pupils already.
I wish I could help you.
I'm sorry. Pole.
Alright, here we are.
- OK, asante sana.
- Asante.
Goodbye, Teacher.
You know that old man
I told you about?
He came back again.
I hope you did not let him in.
The poor old boy might be senile.
Why don't you stick to battles
you can win, hm?
Like finding more desks.
How was your week?
The Swedish company
hasn't paid me the consulting fee.
The government job is starting to sound
very appealing.
Except it had to be full time
in Nairobi,
and then we'd never
see each other at all.
Not if you came to Nairobi.
We'll live in a big house, make babies.
Have a little bunch of Obinchus.
Charles, I can't.
The school needs me.
What about me?
You've got me.
We've got five children
to a desk here, sir.
There are children sitting on the floor.
They can't work like this, Mr. Kipruto.
You need a form for every single
new child, in triplicate?
No, you can't be serious. I don't
have time to do that, Mr. Kipruto.
Could you not just take my word for it?
Yes, I know, regulations.
Good day to you too, Mr. Kipruto.
What am I to do, Alfred?
Our esteemed superintendent has made
one of his executive decisions.
You've got to see this.
What?
You don't give up easily,
do you, Maruge?
You can't fall for this.
You'll be asking for trouble
with the authorities.
You know he's right, Maruge?
What will I say to
the board of education?
Hm?
What will I say to the parents?
I'll be a good pupil.
I'll work very hard.
Kipruto's not the head here, Alfred.
I am.
Let him in.
I'm making an executive decision.
Let Maruge in.
Maruge? Welcome.
Karibu.
Thank you.
Francis, take your seat.
Class, we have a new student today,
and his name is Maruge.
Welcome, Maruge!
Jennifer, raise your hand, please.
I would like you to go
and sit next to Jennifer
at the back there, please, Maruge.
If I sit far, I won't see. I can't.
OK.
Uh... Suzanne, can you sit there?
Sarah, can you sit next to Niva, please?
Maruge, you can sit there.
Sit next to Niva, OK, Sarah?
Back down. Yes? Good.
Let's begin!
Open your exercise books.
Pencils nice and sharp.
Nice and sharp!
My pencil is my friend.
I keep him to the end.
My pencil is my friend.
I keep him to the end.
OK, we are going to begin
with small letters today,
beginning with the letter 'A', OK?
And this is how we write
our small letter 'A'.
OK, a fatty, a thinny.
A fatty, a thinny.
Please continue writing
your lower-case 'A's.
Brendan, Brendan. Sorry, darling.
Maruge, this is how you hold a pencil.
OK, you hold it between your thumb
and your first finger.
Very good. And you press lightly...
not too hard, OK?
Very good.
Good, we are continuing,
repeating after me.
A fatty,
a thinny.
A fatty,
a thinny.
A fatty,
a thinny.
A fatty, a thinny...
Kamau, come here.
What's with the old man in uniform?
Yeah, he's in our school.
Come on.
F-I-T.
A thinny.
F-I-T.
'Fit'.
F-I-T.
A thinny.
Maruge!
Maruge!
Stay out of the school, huh?
School is no place for an old man!
You don't belong there!
Get up. Get up.
Get into line!
Move!
Get out of the way!
Move out!
Where are they,
the Mau Mau?
Well done, Peter.
Makofi for Peter!
Well done, well done, Peter.
Try again another day. A wonderful boy!
OK, who's going to write for me
the number four?
The number four?
Suzanne. Suzanne, come.
Come and write for me the number four.
Well done, Suzanne.
Makofi for Suzanne, please.
Well done, well done, Suzanne!
Try again another day. A wonderful girl!
A wonderful girl! Very good.
OK, next after four is five.
Who is going to write the number five
for me?
Kamau, come and write
the number five for us.
Come.
Come and write the number five
so that we all know how to write
the number five.
Stop it!
Is that how we write the number five?
No.
No, it is not, Kamau.
I was just kidding.
OK. No more jokes.
Excellent! Very good, Kamau.
Makofi for Kamau, please.
Well done, well done, Kamau.
Try again another day. A wonderful boy.
OK, Maruge, can you come
and write for us the number six?
Maruge! Can you come
and write the number six for us?
Maruge!
Hey, stop.
Maruge, will you write the number six
for us?
the number six?
the number six?
Good morning, class.
Good morning, Teacher Alfred.
Teacher Alfred is going to inspect
for neatness, yes?
OK, sit down, sit down.
Thank you, Teacher.
Patrick, hm-hm. Good, good, good.
Pauline. Good.
Good.
Where is the date?
Good, good, good.
Maruge, your pencil's very blunt.
What kind of example are you setting?
Go sharpen it now
and don't let it happen again.
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"The First Grader" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_first_grader_8248>.
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