School usually started on or around September 15. We would then break in mid-December for 3 weeks. At that time, while in General School, we took class trips to the mountains. These were 1 week or longer. Parents did not come with us. Only teachers came as chaperones. We had a great time playing in the snow, and generally horsing around. We had another 2-week vacation around Easter and then we had the long, 3 months vacation in summer. The students who did not get passing grades in certain subjects had to study during the summer and take exams to be promoted into the next grade. Rarely, somebody would have to repeat the class. This was a deep stigma. You did not want to be in that position. Usually, results were posted for everybody to see.
All subjects, with no exception would be taught for 50 minutes. Then you had a 10-minute break in between subjects. There was also a long break (20 minutes) in the middle of the day. You could use breaks to go to the bathroom, socialize with friends from your class or some other class, go to the library, go outside to play when the weather was nice, have a snack if you brought one from home, go to the nearby store to get something to eat or study for the next subject. It was practically up to you. The end of the 50-minute period as well as the end of the break was announced by the load sound of a bell broadcast over loudspeakers everywhere. Sometimes the bell saved you when the teacher was just about to ask you something you didn’t know. But when the next class started you had to be in class. You had to salute your teacher by standing up at attention and greeting him/her in chorus when he/she stepped in. This was especially so in lower grades.
Romanian is a phonetic language. What you see, is what you read. So, generally, there are no problems with spelling. Grammar is an entirely different matter. It is much more difficult because everything has to “agree” with everything else. Words change a lot if they are singular or plural, masculine or feminine. Verb endings change quite a bit if the action is performed by me, you, him, her, them. It can get quite interesting. Still, for a school child, it is not very difficult to master. The very first book in First Grade is an Abecedar. This is an ABC book. It teaches you to read and write.
When I went to school in First Grade, I happened to get into an “experimental” class. Usually, all subjects, no exception, were taught by the same teacher in the first 4 grades. However, in my experimental class, there was one teacher for every subject, just like in the higher grades. All in all, I think it was a good experience. We had good teachers and I still remember most of them.
Before 4th grade was over, we had to indicate (or our parents had to specify) what language we wanted to take starting in the 5th grade. The overwhelming majority of parents chose French. However, without consulting anybody, our Diriginte and math teacher (she was also one of our colleague’s grandma) chose English for all of us. And guess what? Nobody protested. And then, after starting the English lessons with our very young, just graduated English teacher (a pretty lady called Anca), all of us were overjoyed. The English lessons were so much fun. She brought hand puppets, English nursery rhymes, songs, etc. and she made the learning into a game. For most of us, including myself, it turned out to be our favorite subject. It might have affected our entire future like it did mine.
Along with the usual subjects, Romanian, Math, Botany, Zoology, Biology, History, Geography, Painting, Music, Gym, we also had political sciences such as Marxist philosophy, scientific socialism, and the like. We also learned how to cook a meal, darn a sock, embroider, sew from a pattern, and even some elementary carpentry. Of course, the boys had other, more male-oriented classes when we, girls had embroidery, sewing, etc.
Of course, there were unpleasant things such as political propaganda meetings, field trips to the History Museum of the Communist Party, mandatory “patriotic, volunteer” work such as sorting dirty, muddy potatoes outside an agricultural cooperative on cold winter week-ends, etc. But for young people they were opportunities to socialize with colleagues, laugh, tell jokes.
All subjects, with no exception would be taught for 50 minutes. Then you had a 10-minute break in between subjects. There was also a long break (20 minutes) in the middle of the day. You could use breaks to go to the bathroom, socialize with friends from your class or some other class, go to the library, go outside to play when the weather was nice, have a snack if you brought one from home, go to the nearby store to get something to eat or study for the next subject. It was practically up to you. The end of the 50-minute period as well as the end of the break was announced by the load sound of a bell broadcast over loudspeakers everywhere. Sometimes the bell saved you when the teacher was just about to ask you something you didn’t know. But when the next class started you had to be in class. You had to salute your teacher by standing up at attention and greeting him/her in chorus when he/she stepped in. This was especially so in lower grades.
Romanian is a phonetic language. What you see, is what you read. So, generally, there are no problems with spelling. Grammar is an entirely different matter. It is much more difficult because everything has to “agree” with everything else. Words change a lot if they are singular or plural, masculine or feminine. Verb endings change quite a bit if the action is performed by me, you, him, her, them. It can get quite interesting. Still, for a school child, it is not very difficult to master. The very first book in First Grade is an Abecedar. This is an ABC book. It teaches you to read and write.
When I went to school in First Grade, I happened to get into an “experimental” class. Usually, all subjects, no exception, were taught by the same teacher in the first 4 grades. However, in my experimental class, there was one teacher for every subject, just like in the higher grades. All in all, I think it was a good experience. We had good teachers and I still remember most of them.
Before 4th grade was over, we had to indicate (or our parents had to specify) what language we wanted to take starting in the 5th grade. The overwhelming majority of parents chose French. However, without consulting anybody, our Diriginte and math teacher (she was also one of our colleague’s grandma) chose English for all of us. And guess what? Nobody protested. And then, after starting the English lessons with our very young, just graduated English teacher (a pretty lady called Anca), all of us were overjoyed. The English lessons were so much fun. She brought hand puppets, English nursery rhymes, songs, etc. and she made the learning into a game. For most of us, including myself, it turned out to be our favorite subject. It might have affected our entire future like it did mine.
Along with the usual subjects, Romanian, Math, Botany, Zoology, Biology, History, Geography, Painting, Music, Gym, we also had political sciences such as Marxist philosophy, scientific socialism, and the like. We also learned how to cook a meal, darn a sock, embroider, sew from a pattern, and even some elementary carpentry. Of course, the boys had other, more male-oriented classes when we, girls had embroidery, sewing, etc.
Of course, there were unpleasant things such as political propaganda meetings, field trips to the History Museum of the Communist Party, mandatory “patriotic, volunteer” work such as sorting dirty, muddy potatoes outside an agricultural cooperative on cold winter week-ends, etc. But for young people they were opportunities to socialize with colleagues, laugh, tell jokes.
(to be continued)
Simona Georgescu
