School gates

I went with Sam to his school because he wanted to play there. It is our long summer holiday and the school grounds were opened for the kids to play.

When school ended, my principal of Pt Chevalier School invited the parents to come and use the school grounds because we are a community school.

My thoughts went back to when I was a parent in Singapore. After the 9/11, because America had a naval base in Singapore, the security of this little island was at threat. Security measures filtered down to schools. Parents were no longer permited to walk in and out of the school.

The school employed two security guards who recorded your ID (similar to Social Security) number, and the nature of your visit to the school. Fear was actually very real.

Here, we enjoy the freedom, the school gates are opened for you to enter or exit.