September has arrived and brought a new school year with it.
As we see our young neighbours in their uniforms or send our own little ones off with their bags on their back, we can't help but remember days 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 heading back to school.
Primary school is a crucial part of childhood that exposes us to so many academic and social scenarios. And while early education contains some experiences shared around the world, a lot are unique to our small corner.
Read more: Threats and warnings every Dub heard from their ma growing up
We decided to take a look back on primary school things most Dubs will remember - be it from their own experience or that of their children/grandchildren. After all, parents, grandparents and extended family go along on kids' academic journey 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.
No homework on Fridays
Friday mornings often came with a spelling test to assess the week’s learning homework, but once that was over with, you could practically taste freedom. Once the end-of-day bell rang you were free 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, helping out another class or ringing the bell to alert the school to lunch or home time, there was joy in both getting out of class and being the chosen one.
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 gross - 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… the list goes on. No wonder we got sick so bleedin’ often.
Alive-O
As national schools here are overwhelmingly Catholic, religion was on the curriculum for most primary schools in Dublin. Regardless of how religious you were, the subject offered some respite from the more academic stuff thanks to Alive-O.
Alive-O was the name of the textbook and workbook pairing used for religion class. It came with an accompanying CD filled with absolute bangers, so you’d be colouring in a picture of Jesus turning water into wine or making communion/confirmation art as songs like ‘Connected’ or ‘The Twelve Tribes’ played from the teacher’s desk.
Non-uniform days
Be it for a Halloween costume party, a pre-Paddy’s Day parade or a fundraiser, we relished the chance to get a break from the outfit we had to wear every other day. For most classes, non-uniform days were a chance to wear something comfy - though when it came to 5th/6th class, it began to take on a more competitive element.
Christmas annuals
Fashion fans eagerly anticipating the Vogue September Issue had nothing on primary school kids awaiting the arrival of their Folens Christmas annual every December. Be it Sugradh, Sonas, Siamsa or Spraoi, they kick-started our Christmas excitement with their quizzes, colouring pages, comics and so on.
Circle time
Looking back, we wonder what was most difficult for our teachers to control: a class full of kids moving furniture to clear a space (and then having to fix the room back to what it was)? Or a class full of kids remaining silent until they were the ones holding the special item/teddy that allowed them to talk?
Handmade cards for every occasion
From the age kids could hold a pencil up until around 12, mammies 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 mortification of calling your teacher ‘mam’
Here, it happened to the best of us. Most of us addressed female teachers by “Miss”, which starts with the same letter as “ma”/“mam”/“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 scarleh-for-our-lives whenever we did, though.
Nativity plays that felt 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. Move over, Billie Barry Kids.
“An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leithreas?”
Even the most Irish-less Dub can still do one thing as Gaeilge: ask permission to use the bathroom. Though we learned to follow commands spoken to us in Irish (like sitting down, standing up, being quiet etc.) from a very young age, the earliest phrase most of us remember learning to speak for ourselves was asking to go to the loo.
What other things remind you of primary school? Let us know in the comments below.
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