Saints Be Praised in England: Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard

Assembly time for the Beech class! Michael is in year two, which is first grade in the US. The British system gets a one year (or more) head start, with full time school for all children starting in year pre-K, which they call Reception year. No wonder they are reading whizzes!

Sing Hosanna.

M and D attend a secular, public school. In my opinion, people who whine about how we have kicked God out of school could:

a. send their kids to parochial school.
b. cork it.
c. move to the UK!

Dominic, Ailsa and Archie not being naughty.

Dominic announced the other day that Jesus can do whatever he wants because he is the King of Kings. I am uncomfortable with Christianity being taught to my children, even though I have my own deep beliefs. Teaching religion to children is a touchy subject, but I am rolling with it.

Michael sitting sensibly.

I would love to show more photos that we took of the goings on at the assembly, but I need to respect the privacy of the other munchkins. It was another organized extravaganza!

Lighthouse, Michael, Daddy.

The children displayed their knowledge of the Queen Victorian era (1837 - 1901). They shared the experience of school, the treatment of children in general and described child labor. I learned that children as young as five years old started coal mining at 2 AM and worked 18 hour days. I feel sorry for those babies who toiled in darkness...

Queen Victoria.

In January, the Year 2 children dressed up and spent a day pretending to be Victorian. They wrote on slates, were not allowed to speak, and on and on.

Photo from Oaklands Infant School website.

Kind and adorable Mrs. Terry was very serious in her Victorian teacher role and scared the children.

A young Queen Victoria, by Michael.

On another day the Year 2 children again dressed up in Victorian garb and an expert on the era came to teach them manners and to dance.

Photo taken on the school day visit by Victorian expert.
Originally posted on Oaklands Infant School website.

At the assembly, 24 of the Beech class children (including Michael) performed a social dance right out of Pride and Prejudice!

They danced while singing the song,

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do,

I'm half crazy all for the love of you.

It won't be a stylish marriage -

I can't afford a carriage,

But you'd look sweet upon the seat

Of a bicycle built for two.

Shadow painting self portrait.

It could not have been cuter. Michael shows clear signs of being a future Mr. Darcy.

Lighthouses.

We learned about Grace Darling, a Victorian hero who, together with her father, rescued 13 survivors from a shipwreck in 1838. Her father William was a lighthouse keeper. She died of TB at the age of 27 (that tidbit is from Wikipedia, not the assembly!).

Once again, Mike and I were amazed at the ability of young children to walk silently in straight lines, to sit quietly in very close quarters and to perform an extremely orderly presentation. And impressed with the teachers' child wrangling skills.

DADDY, I WANT A GOLDEN ACORN!

We are very pleased with their school experience. The teachers and staff at Oaklands are loving and professional. We feel lucky to have landed in their laps.