Sports days? School lunches? Uniforms? As we approach the end of summer, children everywhere are getting ready to go back to school. Even though school might be different from country to country, children all over the world share similar experiences. We gathered memories from people who attended school in different parts of the world to highlight both differences and similarities.
School Day Memories in Scotland
Story Shared by Maggie
I went to primary (elementary) school in a Victorian school building in Scotland. It was built in 1876. There was a playground with a blacktop but no green spaces. We had to wear uniforms to school. Our uniform included a white shirt and a maroon- and silver-striped tie. Girls had to wear navy, black, or grey skirts, and trousers were only allowed for boys. You could get into trouble for turning up out of uniform! School started at 9:00 a.m. and ended at 3:15 p.m.
We had playtime outside at 11:00 a.m. for twenty minutes. We would take a “leafpiece” to eat, usually a small snack like cookies. We studied arithmetic, math, English, and history, but we didn’t learn foreign languages. We had sports day once a year with races like the egg and spoon race or the three-legged race, and you could win colored ribbons to pin on your jacket. When we graduated to high school, each pupil chose to receive either a pocket dictionary or a pocket Bible. I chose the dictionary, and it was signed by the headmaster and my last teacher.
An egg and spoon race.1
School Day Memories in Canada
Story Shared by Gwen
My elementary school is in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I started junior kindergarten when I was 4 years old. Next year I will be in Grade 6, and after that I will go to a senior public school. All my classes are taught in French except for math and English, since Canada uses both French and English. My school day begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m. I have two nutritional breaks, one around 11:00 a.m., and the other at 1:00 p.m.
Throughout the school year, my classmates and I face extremes in temperature. Canadian summers can go up to over 30°C (86°F), and winters are usually between -10° and -20°C (14° to -4°F). At the beginning and end of the school year, I wear shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. During winter, I usually wear padded snowpants, down jackets, tuques (knitted caps) and mittens to keep warm. One day after a snowstorm, I used snowshoes to get to school as the sidewalk and roads had not yet been plowed!
My favorite subjects are science and history. We have lots of extracurricular activities at my school. I played on the Borden Ball (handball) team this year. We also go on field trips to places like the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
School Day Memories in France
Story Shared by Anne Marie
I went to school in France in the 1970s. School uniforms were no longer mandatory by then. Our teachers wore smocks. It was a school in a rural region and the first three grades were taught in one classroom by a head teacher in a grey smock. In the first two years I learned to write on a small chalkboard. One side had lines for writing, and one side had a grid for doing math. We had to learn by heart and calculate by memory. I still have a good memory.
School was strict. I learned to be a disciplined student. We learned poetry and art. A Catholic priest came once a week to teach religion, but pupils who were non-Catholic had to move to the classroom next door and do homework. We could hear the children next door laughing and singing.
I walked to school and back home. We had lunch at home and then came back to school until 4:00 p.m. Wednesday was our day off and French television showed cartoons for the children at home.
School Day Memories in Italy
Story Shared by Anna Maria
The memories I have of primary school are vivid and deeply rooted. The school building was massive, built during the Fascist era, and it was down a long tree-lined avenue which, to my eyes, seemed endless and filled with magic. At the end of that path stood two separate buildings.
When I started school in September 1974, classes were already mixed, but just a few years earlier the two buildings had been known as the boys’ and girls’ pavilions, because children were divided by gender.
In first grade, we wore a white school smock and a ribbon tie. My mother made sure both were always neatly pressed and in perfect order. We had one teacher who taught us how to read, write, and do basic arithmetic. School ran from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. A short mid-morning break allowed us to have a small snack and spend time with our classmates.
My school was thoughtful, effective, and purposeful. Children were expected simply to be children.
An Italian elementary school. 2
School Day Memories in India
Story Shared by Prasuna
I went to an army school in India since my dad was in the defense. We wore uniforms, and school ran from 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with only second Saturdays and Sundays off. We packed lunch every morning. I biked to school with friends until seventh grade, then took the school bus in high school. I loved science, especially chemistry. Our school had a four-house system, and we competed in sports. Competing and winning medals was always so much fun!
Story Shared by Chathan
We went to school six days a week: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays and then 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. We had to wear uniforms, except when it was your birthday! We packed lunch and took it to school every day. My favorite tradition was that we had two special class trips every year. I didn’t like that we did not have any sports at school.
Summer breaks were short, about forty days. We had to do summer homework, and I hated that!
Family History Activity: Interviewing Your Family Members
Asking your family members questions about their school days can be a fun way to connect and learn more about each other. Here are some questions you might want to ask:
- What time did school start and end?
- What subjects did you study?
- Please describe your school building.
- What did you eat at school?
- What was your favorite subject?
- What is your best memory of a school day or a tradition at school?
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