Sunday, August 17, 2014

School Yard Days




My first year of school my Teacher's name was Mrs Smith.  She was old.  I've no idea how old she actually was, but from my five year old perspective "old" pretty much summed it up.



She was lovely.  Firm.  But fair.  And at lunch times when she was on playground duty she would knit, while walking around and keeping an eye on all of us.  And I remember it was the absolute height of honour to be chosen to carry her wool.  She would choose two students each duty to follow her around, a good ten paces behind her, and hold her ball of wool, making sure it didn't get tangled as she knitted and walked the yard.  


It was a job with much responsibility, you had to make sure the wool didn't knot and also keep it at the right tension, not too tight, not trailing on the ground, as you followed her around.  It required quite a bit of concentration.  And you had to do all this while your friend elbowed you in the ribs whispering "My turn. My turn.  Gimme the wool."

Me & Mrs Smith
So much has changed as I reflect on my daughters first year of school.  And yet not that much has changed either.  She still comes home on Mondays and tells me she did yard duty with her teacher.

Term three is barreling along and too soon she's not going to be a preppy anymore, but a fully fledged grade one school kid.


I am so pleased with the choice we made for her school.  It's turned out to be an amazing school that has lived up to all it's promise of engagement and community.  I know we are only a few terms into a school career that is going to last a decade and more.  But still. So far so good.


We've been very lucky that she has really enjoyed every minute of school.  Apart from a bit of a friendship scuffle that is yet to resolve itself her experience has been entirely positive.


But it's not just my daughters experience that has formed my favourable opinion of the school.  It's a number of small observations I have made that have accumulated to form an overall view that glows.  Things that my daughter undoubtedly benefits from, while being for the most part oblivious to.


It's seeing the senior school students modelling behaviour that is mature and responsible.  I'm constantly impressed by the older kids genuine care and concern for the welfare of the younger kids.  And their real respect for their school and each other.


It's watching teachers engage with each other in ways that are both professional and personal.  It seems that at my daughters school the teachers that train together stay together.  I see many of the staff doing personal training sessions together at the school every Wednesday afternoon. They also attend out of hours school fundraisers in number and with enthusiasm.  This is in addition to being, from what I have witnessed extremely committed in the classroom.


It's walking into the school grounds during a lunchtime and looking around in wonder at nearly 700 students all playing independently and happily in various groups and different activities.  Tonnes of organised sport (organised by the kids, I mean, not by the teachers), heaps of imaginative play, climbing, running, digging, chatting, squealing, laughing.


Happy young faces everywhere I turned.  It was a sight to behold.  And a real achievement I reckon.  Think how many teachers, admin and support staff need to work happily, enthusiastically, co-operatively for that happiness, enthusiasm and co-operation to be passed on to a student body of that size.


There was one young boy who, as I turned a corner nearly bowled me over.  His face was red, streaked with fresh tears, still rolling readily over his cheeks.  And he was howling.  "Are you alright?" I asked.  He pointed to his mate with as much venom as is small frame could muster "HE KICKED ME IN THE NUTS!!!" he yelled from the depths of his belly.  Oh dear.  Poor chap.


It's not that my blinkers are on.  Stuff happens at school. And my daughter's school is no exception. I realise that.


But so far, so early into her educational journey, I am more than satisfied that this school as defined by the ethos of it's staff, is a good one.  A good one for her, both educationally and socially.


How lucky do I feel to live in a place where such quality education with such caring and professional practitioners at the helm is available to me through the public school system?


Pretty bloody lucky, that's what.



Did you love school?

19 comments:

  1. What a great reflection. I love that story about the yarn. What a talent she must have had to be able to knit whilst walking!

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    1. I know, right? It never occurred to me as little kid, but with hindsight it's quite a skill.

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  2. This is a really interesting read. My eldest daughter starts school next year, so I'm hoping the school we've chosen is as positive a choice as yours has been.

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    1. I hope so too Julie - if the school is a good fit for your daughter and your family it can be a really fun and exciting year. Lots of really great "firsts" and hopefully some wonderful memories made for all of you. x

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  3. Oh to knit on yard duty, I'd love to see that. I love that you are enthused by your daughters school ethos and the staff and student interactions. It's important to get a good vibe from your kid's school.

    Most kids encounter some sort of friendship issue at some stage in their schooling. Unfortunately girls can be very bitchy, to put it bluntly. I was amazed by some of the friendship issues I helped to mediate whilst teaching Year 2. One girl was getting her "friend" to do 20 push-ups before she was allowed to play. I was only alerted to it when her mum told me (I felt terrible I hadn't observed it and the other teachers on yard duty hadn't seen it. I chatted to the sweet little munchkin and advised her to try out another friendship group. The instigator was notorious for this kind of stuff (she was a carbon copy of her mum). Hopefully the issue sorts itself out. xx

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    1. Thanks Blondie, gosh that sounds hideous and sort of hilarious at the same time (but not!). I know that this little friendship thing is just the first in a long line of friendship things that she will have to sort out throughout her life, so I'm trying to not place too much importance on it, while being supportive of her and helping her to come up with some good strategies to resolve the problem. I feel really lucky that she is being so open with me about it and I'm taking the opportunity to help guide her because I know when the more serious stuff happens she'll probably be of an age when she will be more reticent to involve me. Hopefully, hopefully all this helps her get to a point where she can successfully navigate these things by herself. It 's a balance at the moment of not blowing things out of proportion and not minimising her experience of it. Thanks for your insights! x

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    2. I hope they helped. Yes it was a bit hilarious, but not. So hard not to giggle with some of the dramas.

      So glad she can talk to you. I hope I'll have that kind of relationship with my daughter too. xx

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  4. I love reading about your school memories Kate. It's such a blessing to find a great school for your kids. My children also attended two primary schools (the first private, the second State) which were both fantastic and I was fortunate enough to have the time to become involved in many aspects of the schools. I recently had the pleasure of working with a girl who was in my daughters class and she told me that she remembered me helping her to learn to read. She is far better educated than I am now. The legacy of that school lives on within all of the young adults that I've had the pleasure of meeting up with since then. They are polite, well mannered and have a fierce loyalty to that school and most of all wonderful memories.

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    1. Isn't that wonderful Michelle - you must have felt quite chuffed that she remembered you helping her learn to read, how wonderful! I'm really enjoying being involved with the school too. So far it's such a great experience. I really feel very lucky.

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  5. A lovely read Kate. My earliest memories of my schooling includes thinking my Year 2 teacher (Sr Magdalene) was soooooo old - it was a lot of years later that I discovered she was all of 23 when she taught us!!!!!

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    1. Oh my! Priscilla, that's outrageous! 23, still just a baby herself! Hahaha! Poor Sr Magdalene and poor Mrs Smith - seriously, I thought she was about one hundred.

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  6. It is so wonderful to find a great school for your children. We have been blessed with a lovely little country town primary school for all three of my children. And like you say it is so many factors coming into play that make it work - great staff, admin, teacher aides, parents - all working together to make it a community. My son left a few years ago, my middle girl finishes at the end of this year and my youngest has three years to go. It will be a sad day when I say goodbye after 14 years at the place.

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    1. One of the things I love most about the school Deb is that despite being in a urban area it has a real rural feel, we are so lucky to have lots of space - and a lot if it is just free space, grass for kids to run. But yes, it certainly seems like it's the staff that make the place, everything else just trickles down. x

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  7. As a teacher myself, it is heart warming to hear positive reflections about your child's school life so far. I see first hand how hard teachers work and how much they love their classes year after year. I am glad your little girl and you are happy with the school community and that knitting teacher-what a legend:)

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    1. Teachers don't get nearly enough kudos! It is such an important job, and so undervalued. I'm just so impressed with the level of commitment and passion I see in them. It's amazing.

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  8. Aw, such a little cutie! I did love school! My first teacher was Mrs Fookes and she had a really big mole on her face with a hair coming out of it! The things we remember. She was lovely too, I remember feeling proud as punch on my first day when she held up my handwriting for the other kids. I'm still proud of my 'a' s!
    It is a rare thing to find a school like the one you've found for your girl. I have been to many, taught in many and trained teachers in many. Few have the positive happy culture evident across the board. Someone in leadership at that place must be doing something right, Kate!

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    1. And your handwriting is still A worthy as I recall! I agree I think the school is getting it right from the top down. I do feel very lucky! x

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  9. What a happy little face! I loved school too and we have been fortunate that our girls primary school years were really positive and enjoyable ones for them. At primary school they had great teachers, friends, learning and community. We as parents had lots of opportunity to be involved in the school community and with the girls learning as classroom helpers, attending weekly assembly and just being involved with events and fundraising. I must admit I was a bit of an emotional wreck after our youngest's grade 6 graduation. It's a great when you feel you have found the right school for your child.

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    1. That is exactly how I feel Emily. The school just has such a great sense of community and connection. I know the work very hard on that, and it certainly pays off. I hope I still feel as positive as you did by grade 6. If so I'm sure I'll be very sad to leave too.

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