Olden Days School

Stage One stepped back in time today to experience what it was like to be school student in the past.

We began our lessons in a room which had blackboards and all the desks were in rows. Our teachers checked our fingernails and behind our ears for cleanliness. We had to sit up very straight and keep our hands folded on the desk. No one was allowed to speak.

Mrs Harris told us that left-handed children must write with their right-hand or otherwise they were punished. We all tried writing with the hand we don't normally write with to see what it was like for left-handed students in the past. Children used to get hit on the hand with a ruler or stick if they held their pencil incorrectly.

Headmaster Coote visited and we all had to stand to greet him. He made us chant arithmetic sums 1+1=2, 2+2=4 and so on. Headmaster Coote told us about when he went to school. He was very scary!

Mrs Davis gave us a reader. It was simple and boring. We had to read it altogether. We like the books we read in our classroom today much better.

After our lessons we were allowed to play. Miss Everist and Miss Plummer showed us some olden days games. Year Two played with inside games such as Pick-Up Sticks, Jumbling Blocks, Dominoes and Snakes and Ladders. Year One played outside with quoits, hoops, hopscotch, elastics and skipping ropes. It was a lot of fun. Next Monday, we will swap and Year One will play inside games while Year Two play outside.

Here are some of our photos.