Family histories are wonderful

On a recent visit to my Mum's she unearthed a cassette recorded in 1972 of my elderly grandfather talking about his long life and days gone by. Known as Grandpa to us, he was a stately English gentleman born in 1880 who led a long life raising two families, serving in two wars and indulging in his passion for gardening. Frederick William Gee left school at 13 years of age and joined the railways at 14. He worked his way up through small stations to become a station master at Market Harborough in middle England earning 17 shillings a week. He retired at 65 with the only breaks in service to British Rail being officer duties in the Boer War (1899 to 1902) and World War 1.

My Mum and her brother grew up on the railways and spent World War 2 under the threat of German bomber planes as they sought to destroy the extensive network of railways that criss crossed the United Kingdom. It's the stuff fantastic historical novels are made of.

It was fascinating on all sorts of levels - listening to my Grandpa describe the changes to the railways and the English villages he lived in over his career of 51 years, looking through the photographs that were pulled out to match the stories and checking the visuals against our modern day Google Maps (those houses in the background of the photo of my Mum 82 years ago still look the same), as well as the fact Mum's cassette player still works and the tape hasn't deteriorated in 47 years!

Family histories are a treasure trove, and I hope to keep digging through mine to see what other gold, silver and precious titbits I can unearth.

Llandudno, Wales

Common courtesies, good manners - hundreds of years old but still the same

Manners matter... they are an opportunity to think generously about another person. They are used every day to make a good impression on others, and when used selflessly, can help you to feel good about yourself. No matter where you are, practicing good manners is important. Good manners (and smiles) draw people closer to you and can pave the way to solve many conflicts.

At Peregian Springs SS we teach children to use Common Courtesies or good manners explicitly and often. We believe firmly that being polite and courteous means considering how others are feeling whatever the situation is. Our Common Courtesies include greetings, polite requests and social expectations, such as being on time. It's old fashioned, you may say, to teach manners. And yes, it probably is. 

I went looking in the historical archives for the manners taught in Australian schools a century or more ago. I'm always enteretained by however much we change, there are always some things that stay the same :)

Personal histories creating connection

Yesterday we went to the Dr Martens shop in the Valley to get Rick a new pair of shoes - he has worn Docs to work for more than 20 years, and his last pair suddenly split down the sides. While he was trying on a new pair, a young girl was obviously getting her first pair and I told the retail assistant serving us about Maddie's first Docs - they were pale blue with flowers and she looked as cute as a button in them. I then went on to tell her that my Dad used to drive trucks for Dr Martens from Northampton to London in the early '60s. In fact, I used to go with him on occasion - I'd be tied into the seat with string (no seat belts in those days) and off we'd go delivering boxes of Docs all over the city. I used to love it because the men in the factory would give me a few shillings and I would go home RICH! I remember once we ate lunch outside London Prison.

'THAT'S SO COOL', exclaimed the retail assistant.
'Is it?' I was thinking blankly.
'Thanks for sharing that story - I've got goose bumps up my arms,' she said. 'Can I have a photo with you? And we will put it on our history wall - up there.' She looked a bit embarrassed - 'Sorry, it's a bit random.' By this stage, we were all laughing.  I told her I'd ask my Mum to see if she had a photo of Dad in his truck and if so, I'd send it to her.

And herein, is such a beautiful example of personal histories that make connections between people. Here is this young woman, so into her job, surrounded by cool leather boots and shoes all day, completely besotted with the history of the company she works for and keen to record the connections she makes with that history on the wall of the shop. People look at that wall all day every day and wonder about the people and events posted there, and a result, they make connections with their own lives.

And this is what our new History Curriculum is all about - it's what makes it such a rewarding area to teach. Gone are the dry and dusty facts and relics - well, actually they are not gone; we are using these artefacts a lot - but now we teach children to look for the people in the photos and behind the relics and to discover the personal stories and to wonder what it was like to live in those times. The purpose of this wondering is to consider these stories in the light of how we live today.

I mean, can you imagine a Dad these days stringing up his three year old in the front seat of a truck and hurtling down the highway to the city and eating lunch outside the prison? Workplace Health and Safety and the Department of Child Safety (commonly known as DoCS, funnily enough) would have a field day.

Freddo Frogs going begging here... my thoughts on Halloween

On Thursday after school I raced into Coles and bought bags of Freddo Frogs in preparation for the onslaught of kids at my door for the evening. Halloween - it happens once a year, and while I'm not a big fan of the event, there's no denying its popularity!

Halloween or Hallowe'en, also known as All Hallows' Eve, is an annual celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It has its origins in an ancient Celtic festival at which communities in Scotland and Ireland took stock of their supplies and prepared for winter.  The custom was taken to America during the mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the nineteenth century and by the twentieth century was celebrated by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds. The customs have spread to other countries as a result of increased American cultural influence through American television and other media.

And don't our kids love it! The dressing up, the wandering around the streets at dusk and in the dark, the knocking on doors and yelling 'trick or treat', the collection of lollies, fruit, nuts and toys - it's enough to whip any child, large or small, into a frenzy! 

I watched all the children passing down our street from our kitchen as I was preparing dinner and wondered if they had any clue what it all means.  Our teachers are reluctant to teach about Halloween - it's one of those topics that's a bit 'politically incorrect'. Some years ago a school was hung out to dry in the media because a few teachers decorated their rooms and explained the story behind the custom. Parents didn't want any learning about witches and ghouls going on in that school. And even in our school we have been taken to task about using such topics in lessons. And so, unless parents are telling their children the narrative behind Halloween, all it really is in Australia is an excuse to have a sugar high!! I mean, we can't possibly argue that we are storing up for winter!

We have quite a high wall and a gate around our house and as the evening trawled by it became obvious I would be eating the Freddo Frogs.  It was wonderful that parents wandering the streets with their kids concentrated on doorways they could see and people they knew. I could hear kids laughing and every so often someone yelling 'trick or treat'! 

So really, at the end of the day, who cares if Halloween in Australia is only a chance for parents to spend time with their kids, dressing up and collecting goodies from the neighbours. It has to beat an evening in front of the TV.

Next year I shall make sure our gate is wide open so all the little witches, ghouls, mummies and pumpkin heads know they can staunch their chocolate fix at our door! Happy Halloween!

Families like ours

This article appeared in our newsletter and was written by Maree, our Teacher Librarian. Maree is stocking some interesting children's literature in the Resource Centre that celebrate our diversity in society.

There are many different types of families. In children’s literature, we have met families such as The Swiss Family Robinson, Anne of Green Gable’s family, Little Women, The Seven Little Australians, The Famous Five (mainly about the siblings), My Brother Jack, The Dairy of Anne Frank, and more recently A Series of Unfortunate Events (about three orphaned siblings) and picture books like Are We There Yet? about a family travelling around Australia. The stereotypical nuclear family has mum, dad and a son and a daughter.

But times have changed and contemporary television programs like Modern Families deliberately highlight the diversity that occurs in contemporary society. In our own community, there are many single-parent families, small families of two, larger extended families, families from non-Australian backgrounds, families with two Dads, and families with two Mums.

As part of the History learning area of the Australian Curriculum, students learn about families that are different to their own. We have purchased some picture books to support this. These are available to teachers and parents (and are not on the general bookshelves). Some books about alternative families we now have in our Resource Centre are  Daddy, Papa and Me,  I call my Grandpa Papa and  In our Mothers’ House.

 

Although we’re not related by blood, I like to think that I’m part of a family of book-lovers and readers, and that I’m closely connected to the child who raced into the library last week and cried out ‘Miss Maree, I have good news. I can read!’ I’m very proud that of so many students in our very large Peregian Springs State School family also belong to the family of book-lovers and readers that  one day will move and shake the world.

Thank you, Maree, for your contribution. I hope that parents will take advantage of your offer, and come and look at these new books.