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.

School during the war years

Sarah Vance sent us a reflection from her granny, Barbara Vance, who went to school in Norwich, England during WW2. In it she tells us that one day during World War two as she reached the school gates the siren went off to say the planes were coming. So after two and a half miles to reach school Barbara had to turn around and go home, half way there another siren went off which meant that the planes where over head so she started to run home. After being home about ten minutes the 'all clear' came and she began another two and a half miles walk to school.

It never occured to her to stay at home rather than walking back in as she enjoyed school so much. Even after Barbara left school she would go back to the school twice a month just to see her teachers.

Isn't it great that Primary School can hold such happy memories for some people? Oh that all children could experience this.
Mrs L

Short skirts and curls!

This is Anna and her sisters Gracie and Tessie. Anna remembers that Mother Brendan would pin brown paper around the hem of your skirt to bring your hem level below your knee.

One day Gracie used pipe cleaners to curl her hair and went to school with a head of beautiful curls. Mother Brendan took her out to the water pump in the school yard, put her head under it and pumped the water to straighten her hair!!

The nuns believed in those days that short skirts and curls were not modest.
Mrs L