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?

Listen to Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) Remember The Days of the Old School Yard

Images via One Small Life