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.

Irish-Canadian remembers primary education in Ireland during the 1940's

We have a very interesting reflection from Brendan Munnelly,an Irish Canadian living in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
His story is a reflection of Primary school education in the 1940s at a truly national level because it takes us through his experiences in three Counties Galway, Donegal and Wexford.
Each School and teacher was significant and made a difference to his life.He has many positive memories. He says doing mental maths in 6th class was a life long skill that has served him well.
He says he hasn't considered the significance of his primary education until now when asked to do so for our Book Project.
Mrs. K.B


I thought that this extract from Brendans reflection was very interesting..........

"I will never forget the solid grounding in all the subjects given me at that little school in Donegal. And not just the schooling, I had good friends and we had a lot of fun and even a few fights. We lived in the country and there was never a shortage of things to do, building play houses, flying down hills on homemade carts. I am sure some of it was dangerous but none of us cared. We would get cuts and bruises and take them home to mum who would bandage us up and then give a scolding for being so reckless."

Oh that all children could go to school and then go home and play houses, or fly down hills on homemade carts.
Mrs L