10 Life Lessons. Number 6.

Cherry

By jolono

Wed, 21 May 2025
  • 1047 reads
13 comments
 

The most important place in the school was “The Hall”.

We had our morning assembly in “The Hall”.

We had our school dinners in “The Hall”

And we also did PE in “The Hall.”

It had a small stage at one end and PE equipment stacked neatly at the other end. Every classroom was attached to “The Hall”, so that when you were naughty and were told to stand outside the classroom door you were in fact standing in “The Hall.”

PE involved a lot of running around in circles in “The Hall” and we did a lot of balancing on small benches, but the most important part of PE was rope climbing. Magically from the ceiling dropped down several heavy ropes and we were told to climb to the top. Years of climbing up lampposts with my old mate Reggie Loder had made me somewhat of a climbing specialist. I could climb to the top of that rope in seconds. I could never understand how some of the other kids just couldn’t do it. You just gripped and pulled and up you went. Easy!

A green mat was placed at the bottom of each rope, in case you fell off. The top of the rope was about fifteen feet from the floor, how on earth a four-foot square one-inch thick foam mat was going to cushion your fall I just can’t imagine. But as far as I can remember no one ever fell.

We also had another lesson in “The Hall”. Scottish Country Dancing! Bizarre, I know, but we plugged in an old record player and the teacher played a selection of Country Dance tunes. We all linked arms, in pairs,  and just kind of skipped around in circles. Great fun and it always made us smile and giggle like mad.

We did a side step, a do-si-do, a hop, some kind of double step, and a jump. At times, our hands were in the air, and other times, they were by our side. It was great fun and I can clearly remember our teacher almost doubled up with laughter as we all got ourselves hopelessly lost and out of place.

 

LIFE LESSON NUMBER SIX.   Dancing makes you smile. So just Dance!

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Strange Life Tales
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Oh I remember Country Dancing - it wasn't Scottish at my school but it sounds exactly the same otherwise - and just as much fun. I'm enjoying your life lessons very much Joe - thank you!

 

Submitted by jolono on

Thanks Insert. I have no idea why we did them? But they were great fun. I wrote these over a year ago and intend for them to go in the next Short Story Collection book. I'm at about 50,000 words in total and about 20 or so stories. Should have it all done by the end of the summer.

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I have no idea either! Did you have 'films' too? (in the hall obviously) - it was things like how something was made in a factory, or milk, or road safety

 

Submitted by jolono on

We did have films! On a Friday a man would come and set up his projector in the Library. It was another one of my jobs to help him. I'd forgotten about that! Thanks Insert.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

The Hall is exactly like the one at my son's school was here :0) Though no ropes from the ceiling, or stage. I got my son to read all your lessons so far and he enjoyed them very much too. Though Scottish Dancing was NOT the same for him at all, maybe because all the girls did proper lessons with a lady above the hairdresser, and entered competitions etc, so thought the boys were clumsy idiots :0)

 

Submitted by jolono on

The truth is Di, most boys are clumsy idiots!

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

You brought back my own recollections with your recalling the hall. We did country dancing too, though I hated P. E. as we called it back in the 1960s, and could never climb the ropes. I do remember assembly and Mr Jones our music teacher playing the piano, singing at the top of his voice, while we mumbled hymes and Miss Draper our headmistress wearing her black cape up on the stage. So many memories to look back on and I enjoyed reading yours.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by jolono on

I think its great to remember those days. They seem like a world away now, but great memories, thanks Jen.

 

Submitted by Frances Macaula... on

Congratulations on the cherries, Jolono!  Loved this.  I grew up in Northern Rhodesia now Zambia and this is so typical of my schools as well!  And I did Scottish Country Dancing and on a Saturday Spanish Dancing too!  The whole atmosphere is even replicated here in Australia - all the same (global), even to  the Headmistress' black crepe outfit!  Great memories of a very happy childhood and wonderful school days.  Thank you. 

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Submitted by jolono on

Thanks you Frances. I think it was just the generation, for some reason all schools thought it important to include dancing in their agenda! Seems weird now, but thoroughly enjoyable.

 

Submitted by HarryC on

That's brought back so many memories of my primary school.  I'd forgotten about those green mats!

We used to sit in a circle around the radio and listen to a schools' programme.  Can't remember what it was called.  It always started with the announcer saying "Hello, children!".  To which we all answered "Helloooo!"  I always wondered how she could hear us!

Submitted by jolono on

Hi Kevin, yeah, we had radio as well. We also had Films on a Friday. Educational films, sometimes about farm life or somekind of factory. Loved those lessons!

 

Submitted by celticman on

our hall had a stage and PE teacher of sorts, he couldn't walk and leaned against the stage and barked, get the mats out. That was it.