The document describes what school was like in the "olden days" through a simulated school day experience at Te Manawa. Key details include: - The teacher strictly enforced rules about not talking without permission, raising your hand to answer, and saying "Miss" when called on. - Writing was done with ink pens that had to be dipped in an inkwell, and any blotches meant getting smacked on the hand with a ruler. - The classroom was plain with few decorations or colors for brightness. - Reading was done together aloud while pointing at words, and the books were not very interesting.

1. Te Manawa Trip
What was going to school in the
‘olden days’ really like?

2. Here we are lined up
outside the old
schoolhouse. The
teacher is checking
everyone’s hands and
fingernails to see if
they need to be
‘scrubbed’!

3. • The teacher read
out the rules. The
children were not to
talk unless she spoke
to them first.

4. • If the children knew
the answer to a question
they had to put their
hands up. If the
teacher chose them,
they had to stand up to
answer and say “Miss” at
the end.

5. • First we did some
fancy handwriting
with special pens.
We had to dip the
end of the pen into
an ink bottle.

6. • In the olden days,
every ‘blotch’ of
ink on your paper
meant you got a
smack on the hand
with a ruler. Ouch!

7. • The ink made a real
mess on your
hands!

8. • The teacher growled
at people if they
were holding the pen
the wrong way.
• Even the parents at
the back kept VERY
quiet!

9. • There weren’t
many smiles in this
classroom!

10. • The room was very
plain. There weren’t
many things on the
walls or many
different colours to
brighten it up.

11. • Oh no! Nate is going
to get the strap
outside! (He didn’t
really… but the
teacher and Nate
acted it out so that
we would know what it
would be like)

12. • Everybody read at
the same time and
we all had to point
to the words as we
read them. The
books weren’t very
interesting either…

13. • Does this look like
exciting reading to
you?

14. • They made the
windows high so the
children couldn’t look
out and get
distracted.
• The windows were
big because this was
the only light in the
room.

15. • Phew! School is
over for another
day! We hope you
enjoyed the trip to
Te Manawa with us!