First day at school
August 22nd, 1930.
Started at a new school today. Our family had to move to a new town because dad lost his job. Mum get some work in the local police station here as a secretary. That is not too bad. I will have to help Dad make lunches for the little kids.
The new school seems okay. In my old school we had some paper to write on with pencils but at this school they are still using slates. What is a slate you wonder? Each slate is framed with wood and one side has these lines to make sure you do not write your letters too big or too small. The slate "pencils" are made of some pale gray mineral. It is softer than the slate. These pencils are made into cylinders about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. The slate pencils are inserted into metal holders so that about an inch sticks out.
Every kid in the class is given a small tobacco tin in which we keep a damp sponge or cloth to rub out mistakes and our work. We sharpen our slate pencils a lot. We rub them on any suitable brick or concrete surface in the school yard. Our teacher, Mr Lynch has a supply of spare slate pencils. The kids here call him 'pinky' because he goes bright pink when he is cranky with the class.
They took a school photo not long ago. I have a copy. That is me in the front row, far left.
Learnt some arithmetic and spelling today and something about the great war. More tomorrow. Gotta go to bed.
Started at a new school today. Our family had to move to a new town because dad lost his job. Mum get some work in the local police station here as a secretary. That is not too bad. I will have to help Dad make lunches for the little kids.
The new school seems okay. In my old school we had some paper to write on with pencils but at this school they are still using slates. What is a slate you wonder? Each slate is framed with wood and one side has these lines to make sure you do not write your letters too big or too small. The slate "pencils" are made of some pale gray mineral. It is softer than the slate. These pencils are made into cylinders about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. The slate pencils are inserted into metal holders so that about an inch sticks out.
Every kid in the class is given a small tobacco tin in which we keep a damp sponge or cloth to rub out mistakes and our work. We sharpen our slate pencils a lot. We rub them on any suitable brick or concrete surface in the school yard. Our teacher, Mr Lynch has a supply of spare slate pencils. The kids here call him 'pinky' because he goes bright pink when he is cranky with the class.
They took a school photo not long ago. I have a copy. That is me in the front row, far left.
Learnt some arithmetic and spelling today and something about the great war. More tomorrow. Gotta go to bed.
Labels: History
