The Optimism of Youth

Welcome to our blog. Here we will document the work we are doing on compiling our book "The Optimism of Youth" based on Millennium Development Goal No 2 - Universal Primary Education by 2015. We are being supported in this project by Self Help Africa

Do you have a reflection on your primary school days, a poem to share, perhaps a photograph from those days? Our aim is to highlight the importance of primary education and why MDG No 2 is such a vital goal.

All contributions are welcome and can be sent to towards2015@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Grandmothers and their Granddaughters agree on the importance of friends and teachers

Two five year old girls gave us their oral reaction to the Question 'Why is school important to you?
Aoife Moloney and Isabella Chesterfield. together with their respective Grandmothers share their thoughts...

'We note from the reactions of these two grandchildren and their grans just how important school friendships, and teachers are in the lives of students. Isn't this true of all children all over the world and down through the years?

We would like to see all five year olds in our world today having an access to primary education like Aoife and Isabella? Can this happen by 2015?

In 1938 Aoife's gran, Madge Kavanagh, was in her first year in Caroreigh National School, Taghmon, Co.Wexford.
She says "My first teacher was very important to my development. Ms O' Loughlin from Gorey Co.Wexford taught me for five years. I learned well in her classroom as she was kind, and she made learning easy".

Madge's grandaughter Aoife Moloney from Gaelscoil Eoghan ui Tuairisc, Carlow has this to say about her first year in primary school.

'I love going to school because..
I love to play with my friends.
I like learning 'jolly phonics',
I love my teacher Muinteoir Treasa,
I love drawing pictures, singing and doing dramas.
and I really love playing games like hopscotch,snake, What time is it Mr.Fox?, Sly Fox, Sticky gooey girl, and Skipping".

Isabella Chesterfield [AGED 5] responds as positively about her first year in primary school. Isabella lives in Guildford, Surrey, England and attends Merrow Primary School.
Chatting about school,Isabella explained why it is important to her life.
She says
"I Love Megan, my friend,
I love Miss Fry, my teacher,
and I love drawing and dancing".

Isabella's grandmother Mu Curtis went to school in the suburbs of London in Surrey during the 1940s. She agrees with her granddaughter that school friends are important to your life. They were key to a happy school experience too.
Mu is still friends with Jennifer Young[Grover] whom she met when she first went to school. Proving the importance of school friends for life.

1 comment:

  1. Class selam agree that for many children primary school days are happy ones but not necessarily so... some of the girls say that many of their brothers dislike the confines of the classroom but love playtime while victims of bullying find primary school days very difficult. There are so many factors that affect our ability to learn

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