Two Sides Of A Coin

BAKWAI

    MARIAM

We didn't have time to look at the new class reality show, because our data processing teacher came. I guess it was time for his class. He didn't even step foot into the class, he just poked his head and told us in his usual angry voice, to meet him in the computer lab.

We were in Ss1 one time, during second term, and our principal gathered us for a short meeting, announcing that we wouldn't be offering computer studies again, instead it will change to Data Processing, because WAEC said so.

We were trying to understand the difference, when our principal told us that in Computer science, it deals with all aspect of the computer, everything about the computer and including data processing, while in data processing it deals majorly with processing of data to information and all aspect of processing and arranging data and information.

Data processing is just an aspect of computer science, plus data processing is an entrepreneurship subject that's why they said we should offer it.

We came out of our class, to see that commercial class were also going to the lab. Normally, science, art and commercial have data processing on the same day, so that no class would be left behind in the syllabus but today, it was only art and commercial that were going to the computer lab.

Most times, I wish that commercial class' computer teacher, was the one teaching our class, because ours always seemed to be angry with the whole world. He never smiles, even other teachers in the staff room avoid him.

A group of sixty students walked towards the computer lab. The girls were mostly in front, which was the usual occurrence and we were in group of threes or fours, while the boys walked farther away and behind, and they mostly walked like avengers, in fives or tens but you could still find girls like Chelsea in the midst of those boys.

It was Kuchi, I and Chidinma; time prefect that were talking. The main topic was Malik Omari. Chidinma knew him cause she started from Jss1 with us, and so at one point in time, they were in the same junior class. I guess she had feelings for him, and seeing him, maybe it has resurfaced.

I looked back, and sure enough a good amount of boys were hovering over Malik Omari and Simeon, but mostly around Malik Omari. I couldn't blame him, he was a magnet to people. His smiles, his easy going attitude, and besides he has been away for a long time and people didn't expect him to be back. They thought he was gone for good.

We arrived at the computer lab. Not that most of us didn't have laptops or computers at home, most of us just didn't know what some of the icons or Apps on the computer was used for.

Our computer lab was in the same area with the physics, chemistry, biology and Technical-drawing; TD labs but they were a far from each other.

The Computer lab area, was painted blue, and it had computer lab in silver, on the wooden door. On the inside, there was a little hall of fame for people like Charles Babbage, Bob Khan, Martin Cooper and even Mark Zuckerberg. Their pictures were all lined on the wall, with their achievements, famous inspirational quotes,date of invention, and for the dead ones, their death dates. The main aim of the hall of fame was that students should be creative and learn with their minds to be able to achieve anything and also for us to be motivated.

Then there was another wooden door, leading to the computer room. It was a very big and spacious room; with five computers per row. It has one hundred and fifty working computers, because unlike other schools, our principal made sure there was maintenance, and anyone that had undergone repairs twice, would be disposed the third time it malfunctions and they will immediately replace it with a new one.

The desks for the computers, were like a little cubicle, it's like every student to his or her computer and at the same time, you could ask questions from your mates.