Summer has left us once more and a new school year has come to take its place.
Seeing today's weans trot off with their bags on their back has us reminiscent of years gone by. Whether the sight reminds you of your own school days or you're a parent of older kids thinking back to when they needed you to tie their laces, there's something so nostalgic about seeing small kids cutting about in their wee uniforms.
Primary school is a crucial part of our childhood that exposes us to so many academic and social scenarios. And while early education contains some experiences shared around the world, many are unique to our small corner.
Read more: Things everyone remembers about going to secondary school in Northern Ireland
We decided to take a look back at the things most people will remember about primary school in Northern Ireland - be it from their own experience or that of their children/grandchildren. After all, parents, grandparents and extended family members go along on kids' academic journeys as the ones who buy uniforms and books, wipe away tears, help with homework, attend plays or shows and proudly display artwork brought home.
Take a walk down memory lane with us and see how many of these you remember from your own school days or those of your kids.
No homework on Fridays
Friday mornings often came with a spelling or times tables test to assess the week’s learning homework, but once that was over with, you could practically taste freedom. Once the end of the day arrived, you got to enjoy a homework-free evening and weekend - the likes of which you wouldn’t see again in secondary school.
The joy of being the messenger
Was there any higher honour than your teacher trusting you enough to send you off on a mission? Whether it was picking something up, dropping something off or helping out a younger class, there was joy in both getting out of schoolwork and being the chosen one.
Graduating to using pens
When kids in the older classes got the hang of joint writing and showed generally neat penmanship, they were finally allowed to swap their pencil for a pen (with limitations). Holding a pen in class for the first time felt like that scene where Harry Potter gets his wand.
Battle of the Tipp-Exes
In deciding certain kids were ready to use pens, teachers opened up another can of worms within their classroom: how mistakes made in ink would be corrected. No longer could errors be rubbed away with an eraser - Tipp-Ex was needed to cover them up.
The problem was that this often led to more mess than if the mistake was simply crossed out. You had to wait until the liquid was dry before writing on it or closing the page, but as it was hard to judge, this often led to sticky engraved writing or pages stuck together.
The wheel tool Tipp-Ex produced a dry tape that could be written on immediately, but sometimes the tape lifted and/or broke off. Then there were the messy French manicures kids gave themselves and each other…
Handmade cards for every occasion
From the age we could hold a pencil up until we were around 11, our mummies and daddies never went without handmade cards for the likes of Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Paddy’s Day and Easter. Every art class approaching those occasions consisted of using glitter, sequins, gel pens, pipe cleaners, feathers or whatever else to decorate coloured card paper.
The school going on lockdown when a dog was on grounds
As central parts of their communities, schools are usually close to residential areas. So it wasn’t unusual that every now and then someone’s dog got out and ended up wandering onto school premises.
This would cause plenty of excitement amongst the kids, who’d either crowd around the window for a look if they were inside, or try to chase it if they were outside. Amid the chaos, school staff would warn students to get/stay inside their respective classrooms and wait until they were given the all-clear.
Nativity plays feeling like Broadway productions
Between the musical numbers, the tea towel-wearing wise men trying to pronounce ‘frankincense’ and ‘myrrh’ while missing some baby teeth and the glamour the angels’ costumes required, Christmas plays were a fair bit of work. The pride some parents displayed while watching their child play Mary or Joseph would make you think they were in a starring role on the West End.
Non-uniform days
We relished the chance to get a break from the outfit we had to wear everyday. For most classes, non-uniform days were a chance to wear something comfy - though by Primary 7 it began to take on a more competitive/judgemental element.
General grossness
When it comes to our school days, we don’t always want to remember the ugly parts. But if we’re being honest, kids are kind of ew! - or at least they were back in our pre-pandemic primary school years.
Allow us to refresh your memory: pee on the bathroom floor/toilet seat, unflushed loos, sticky surfaces with no visible cause, yoghurt-covered uniforms, runny noses wiped (and smeared) by sleeves, uncovered coughs, nose-picking, purposely letting PVA glue dry on your hands just so you could peel it off… the list goes on. Yuck.
The mortification of calling your teacher ‘mum’
Listen, it happened to the best of us. Most of us addressed female teachers by “Miss”, which starts with the same letter as “mum”/“ma”/“mummy”/“mammy”.
Considering a child’s teacher is often an adult woman they spend a lot of time with and call by a word beginning with M - just like their mother - it makes total sense that their young brain would occasionally mix the two up. That didn’t stop us from being absolutely scundered whenever we did, though.
What other things remind you of primary school? Let us know in the comments below.
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