Students of August Town Primary School in St Andrew preparing for the GSAT examinations. - Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Cora was in her room, crying. Her mother was in the dining room, also sobbing. The final results were out and Cora had failed her exams. Miss Zephinella was not going to blame Cora. She felt that the girl had done her best. Her neighbour, Miss Augustine's daughter, Amelda, had passed all her examinations at first attempt. As a matter of fact, Amelda would soon graduate from teachers' college and return to teach at Nugent Hill All-Age School, where Cora was struggling to get through her First Jamaica Local Examinations.

Her eldest son, Lloyd, and her other daughter, Gwen, had to be sent to schools outside of Nugent Hill in order to get through their examinations. Miss Zephinella had known for a long time that something was wrong in Nugent Hill.

Her own brother, Bully, was wandering about the place as if he had lost his senses. Bully had claimed that Mass Baldie, Miss Augustine's father, had congratulated him at the school gate on the morning of the Common Entrance Examination. Bully had ended up writing foolishness on his papers and he never got another chance, as that was his final chance. Mass Baldie had passed on soon thereafter. Bully had dropped out of school and soon began loafing around. Miss Zephinella's parents had taken him to many healers, but to no avail.

"What am I going to do now Mama? I know you can't afford to send me to another school but I just can't pass any exams in Nugent Hill," Cora wailed.

"I will have to ask your Aunt Willhelmina to help out again. It's her Lloydie and Gwen stayed with when they went to do their examinations. Now that they are both teaching and are helping her, she will not say no to you and both of them behaved themselves when they stayed with her," Miss Zephinella said.

Willhelmina was older than Miss Zephinella and had gone to live in Morrison's Corner near Bog Walk. She lived about a mile from the all-age school, so the kids were able to walk to school.

"I've spoken to her already and she said anytime you're ready, you must just pack up and come. I'm going to miss you but don't want you to stay in this village and end up like Bully," Miss Zephinella said.

"I want to go now Mama, I don't want to stay in Nugent Hill any longer," the 16-year-old girl said to her mother.

"You can go after the Christmas holidays. You don't want to spend Christmas with Mama and Papa? You think Aunt Willhelmina can treat you better than us at Christmas time?" Miss Zephinella asked.

"No Mama, I'll wait until after Christmas then," Cora said.

Cora got through the First Jamaica Local at her first attempt at her new school. The next year she passed both the second and third Jamaica Local examinations at her first attempt.

Meanwhile, Amelda was back in Nugent Hill doing her internship. She had heard that Cora had gone to Morrison's Corner to live and attend school in Bog Walk. Amelda told Miss Zephinella that she felt that Cora was brighter than her, but was always behind her in class. She felt Cora had an examination block.

Miss Zephinella informed Amelda that Cora was now going to teachers' college. How splendid, Amelda said. She hoped she would return to teach in Nugent Hill.

About the middle of Amelda's internship, Miss Zephinella was told of a big commotion up at the school.

She made her way up to the school. Rowena, Amelda's sister and Miss Augustine's last child, had been found with all the names of the children in her class written on a piece of paper and at the bottom of her shoes.

The class teacher, a lady from Kingston, wanted to dismiss it as a prank but by early afternoon the majority of parents having children in the class had gathered. Some of them lived in proximity, and their children had run home to give them the news.

Miss Augustine agreed with the class teacher that it was a prank Rowena was playing on the other children, but the parents were adamant that they would not be sending their children back to school until something was done about Rowena. The class teacher told all the kids to take off their shoes. She found no paper in any shoe, but the class teacher realised that they may have taken out the papers during the break.

Amelda was severely embarrassed, but said that it was just a prank Rowena was playing.

A compromise was agreed upon whereby Rowena would allow her shoes to be searched each morning by the class teacher, and after each break.

Miss Zephinella left the school yard knowing that this was the trick Amelda had played on Cora. She told Cora of the events surrounding Rowena. She told Cora not to return to Nugent Hill to teach as she was certain Amelda and her mother would harm her.

Cora took her mother's advice and never returned to Nugent Hill to teach. Cora got through her teachers' college examination, although she did not get any honours, and did a quite successful internship at a school in Kingston.

At the end of her internship Amelda left Nugent Hill, taking Rowena with her. She was still angry at her mother for what she had done to Rowena. She knew that during the years she had been at Nugent Hill, Cora Martin's name was always there on a piece of paper in her shoes. She had seen too many bright children failing examinations, her whole experience at several schools taught her that some children had a fear of examinations. She felt that her conscience was clear, her mother had done nothing to Cora Martin.

Cora herself was now sharing in Amelda's experience of seeing bright children fail examinations. She felt less resentful and afraid of Miss Augustine. She now knows that her mother's suspicions about Miss Augustine had been unfounded. In time, both Cora and Amelda would meet up at the same school and would sit down to share their experiences.