Primary School Days - North Perth Primary School
For the first six years of my school life I attended North Perth Primary School - the same school my Dad had gone to as a child - although funnily enough I didn't find that out until I was an adult - weird how things like that happen. Although come to think of it, Dad never much talked about himself as a child.
I loved going to school and I loved this school, it was divided into lower and upper primary - which way back then was a little forward thinking - common now but not so much then. I think part of that was because the original older buildings became the lower school when the new one was built.
Way back then each classroom had a fireplace for winter - and there was nothing better than coming in after playing and warming yourself in front of the fire. Learning to the sound of wood crackling while it burnt. The ceilings where high so the rooms never got too hot in summer and there were big high windows that opened at the top and the bottom with long ropes that hung down to open the top ones.
There were no whiteboards or even green chalkboards back then, just large blackboards at the front of the class and every one got a turn to be chalk and duster monitor. I used to love bashing the dusters together outside and watching the chalk dust floating off into the air. Had to remember not to inhale though.
Those were the days when we used to get small glass bottles of milk, with real cream on the top, delivered in crates and every child got to have one each day. My Mum used to occasionally spoil us and buy straws with strawberry or chocolate favouring inside, so as you drank your milk became favoured.
My Grade 3 Class - I am wearing my favourite dress and long white socks
Yep, that's me 2nd from the left in the front row.
When I first started writing in pen, it was with a dip pen, we didn't get biros until year 5 - doesn't that make me feel old. So from Year 4 on someone was the ink monitor and had to fill the little ink pots up each morning. There was something simple and elegant in learning to write with a dip pen - although smudging was always a problem, although we had a blotter we were supposed to use.
Life was simpler back then, no calculators or learning algebra - that was all left to high school. We learned to hand sew from Grade 1, not my favourite subject but I loved the embroidery when we got to that. We had story time right up to year 5, with our teachers taking the time once a week to read to us, just a chapter at a time from one of the old classics. I used to love to listen and now I love to read to my grandchildren (and to my children when they were younger) - making up voices for all the characters - turning the story into more than just words.
We didn't have a school canteen, but there was a 'tuck shop' over the road that when you got to upper primary you were allowed visit to buy your lunch, I used to love it when Mum would let us buy our lunch - it was a treat as it didn't happen often.
There were no big fences around our school like there are today keeping vandals out, just a waist height fence as a reminder not to run out on the road if you were chasing a ball.
But best of all we were allowed to be kids - there were no high expectations about where we were going as adults, we were allowed to learn at our pace, to just enjoy the experiences of school.
Impromptu photo of my Grade 6 Class, taken by our teacher
Can you pick me out in this photo?
Need a hint? I am standing.
I read about all this national testing and the pressures it puts on schools and students, I mean they are even talking about testing 4 year olds. I know we need to excel as a nation in the world, but not everyone can be the best, trying your hardest should be enough ... and letting small children just be children - I can't see what is wrong with that.
I am on the road again (and the air as well) for work, off to Karratha early tomorrow morning, back on Thursday afternoon.
The breakfast bar will sit on top of the drawer unit and go all the way over to the window
Looking back towards the kitchen from our lounge over what will be the breakfast bar.
My beautiful glass doors
Waiting for these drawers
The pantry and microwave cupboard
Before
after
After (apologies for blurriness)
and the new hole that we didn't expect to have
Looking towards the kitchen from our lounge area
The wall behind the black chair will be removed
Looking towards the old dining area from our new dining area
Our kitchen
Another view of the kitchen
My Grade 3 Class - I am wearing my favourite dress and long white socks
Impromptu photo of my Grade 6 Class, taken by our teacher
Delicate white wildflowers speckled with dew
Spiky white wildflowers, close to the coast
Old man's beard (Clematis sp) climbing through forest
Splashes of spray as waves pound on rocks
White frangipani with sweet smelling scent
Squeaky white beach sand bordering oceans of blue
Flotsam and jetsam on golden beach sand
White frost glowing in bright morning light
Tropical flower spikes bursting to life
Soft white beach sand with resting sea birds (Silver gulls)
White clouds racing across a blue winter's sky
The bottom of cloud resting on a high peak
and so the wait begins
and a few more arrive
and the bird gives her the eye ... come on he is thinking
and still they patiently wait, bloody dolphins getting all the attention, they think
now their mouths are watering
and their beaks are getting ready
for soon it must be their turn
but this old codger has given up hope and is dozing off
when wait - bugger - he says, they threw the fish over there
and this one smugly swallows
and the others agitate
with more fish incoming ... the squabbling begins
and now it's full on fighting, watch the silver gull caught up in between
Its all over now ... waddling away
I'll have a quick look back
and this one decided to stay.
