Aston Primary

 I love my job. I like just about every school that I go to. But some schools I really, REALLY like. And Aston Primary School at the bottom end of Sheffield is definitely one that I really really like. It felt a little like my own primary school, home of my happiest school memories. Add to that a bunch of brilliant children, happy, friendly staff, and a staffroom full of home made scones with jam, and I knew pretty soon that I was going to have a fab two days there.

And I did. We did so many different things! We made up a new legend about the Dragon of Filey Brigg (who, apparently, loved eating Grannies - poor Grannies!), a story about a spider called Stampy who'd lost his webb, and many and varied poems from seaside creatures, to rockets, to quiet countrysides with grumpy teenagers, and World War 2 evacuees. Not to mention a story about a magpie stealing shiny things. It was just great and I came away after the assembly at the end of day two feeling that I'd been somewhere pretty special. 

One of my highlights was walking into Year 4 and seeing a poem written on the board that they'd just cooked up in a mere 10 minutes. Here it is...

Conrad Burger King

Will he teach us anything?

We love poems, we love rhymes

Listening to them, lots of times

But we’ve got questions

Stuff we’d like to know

Like what started your passion?

What makes the ideas flow?

Did you fall in love with poetry at school?

Who inspired you and made it cool?

Did your teacher pick her nose?

Or one worse…bite her toes?

Which is the favourite poem of yours?

Did you have a teacher locked in loo doors?

Did you see a hand,

Moving in the sand?

Did your teachers have a bogey fight?

If our teachers did, it would give us a fright!

Have you got a sister?

And is she a blister?

Do you think you’ll ever stop

Writing poetry…or will your brain pop?!

With all the ideas spilling out of your head?

Best keep writing your books instead!

Did I teach them anything? Well, I hope that I taught them that poetry and stories are fun, that they are not too difficult to create, and that in the creating there is a great deal of joy. I think I might also have taught the staff not to put fresh food in front of me if they want to have any themselves!

As a thank you to the children in Y4, I wrote them the following poem...

Beware the Grumpy Teenager

Beware the grumpy teenager

In the countryside

Quickly go and run away

Quickly go and hide

Beware the grumpy teenager

With the mardy face

Moaning, groaning

Staring into space

Beware the grumpy teenager

Wishing for his phone

Can you hear him grumbling?
Can you hear him groan?

Beware the grumpy teenager

Asking for the loo

Beware the grumpy teenager - 

SOON IT WILL BE YOU!

I was also incredibly impressed with the displays around school and the level of handwriting. These children write calligraphy style - it's the first and only time I've ever seen this at a school and the effects are stunning. The artwork is unbelievably good - the whole place is just a joy to be in. 

Here's hoping I can come back sometime for some more poetry / storytelling / writing fun. 

Thank you everyone at Aston, you made me feel extremely welcome.