Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Katharine wrote:I find it reassuring in this fast paced technological age to read about the days getting shorter, blackberries on bushes, birds flying South for the winter. It happened all those years ago, and it's still happening today.
To quote French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

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Katharine wrote:Anita, thanks for commenting on the seasonal notes update. Otherwise I'd have forgotten to read them.
Followers of our Facebook page will also receive a nudge! :D
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

The October "Seasonal Notes" for 1929 contain a wealth of history. Enid Blyton always includes snippets of information that will hopefully spark children's interest and cause them to do more research for themselves. I like the way she encourages youngsters to observe the natural world as well, and record what they see: "Keep a note of the last day on which you see swallows this year, and compare it with the date next year."

She inspired me to look up the whole of the beautifully-written poem from which she quotes at the top of her article - 'Glasgow' by Alexander Smith.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Moonraker »

Yes, a very interesting article. Rather odd to see that the clocks 'went back' on the night of 5/6 October in 1929 as mow it is at the end of October.
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Poppy »

I enjoyed this month's seasnal notes. As always they are full of many interesting and dates in history. Interesting about how October's name is associated with the musical term 'octive'.
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Katharine »

Thanks for the reminder again this month Anita. Mostly when I read Enid Blyton's words they are timeless, such as hedgehogs curling up for the winter, different berries on trees etc.

I also find her writing a wonderful insight from a historical point of view, after all, 1929 was over 80 years ago. I find it so fascinating to read information such as the dates the clocks changed on, I wonder when it was moved to March and October, and why?

I also noted that she made no mention of Halloween, probably not the big event it seems to be turning into these days. Also fascinating to hear a warm October referred to as either Luke's Little Summer orSt Martin's Summer. I've only ever heard it called an Indian Summer, a sign perhaps of how religion/saints etc. no longer feature in most people's lives now.

A decade or so ago, the reference to a blazing fire would probably have seemed unusual, but with the modern trend for wood burners, that is something that perhaps is coming back into many people's experience.

I also found the references to historical figures very interesting. I wonder how many school children nowadays learn about Nelson, Sir Christopher Wren and Captain Cook? I also wondered how many of the buildings she mentioned as key London features are still standing? Having just watched a programme about the Blitz and how fire fighters were ordered to save St. Paul's at all costs as it was such an iconic building, I wondered how much of the landscape that was familiar to Enid Blyton has now gone. Certainly the sky line has altered dramatically since 1929.

A really, really enjoyable read, I must make sure I read all future Seasonal Notes. A great mix of information. Many thanks for sharing them Tony.
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

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Poppy wrote: Interesting about how October's name is associated with the musical term 'octive'.
It isn't so much the month that's connected to the musical term, but the stem of the word. As with much of our language, it was born from Latin. The Latin word for eight is octo, therefore many words that are related to eight begin with octo or oct. Octave (eight notes), octogenarian (eighty year-old), octet (eight musicians or eight bits in computing), octopus (eight tentacles) and so on are further examples.
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Spitfire »

Such a pleasure to read - thanks from me too for the reminder, Anita. :D

I'm struck anew by how obviously a born teacher Enid Blyton was. She truly had a tremendous gift for imparting information in an interesting and inspirational way. Her 'teacher tone' is so natural to be completely devoid of any hint of patronisation, and she never falls into the trap of trying to 'be one of the kids.'

I bet she was a marvellous teacher - full of enthusiasm, knowledge, and a wonderful instinct of how children see the world and feel in the world. I would have loved to have been in Miss Blyton's class, going on an afternoon nature ramble!
Katharine wrote:Mostly when I read Enid Blyton's words they are timeless, such as hedgehogs curling up for the winter, different berries on trees etc.
For me, it has the strange paradox of being both (delightfully) old-fashioned in style and yet still very fresh. The delivery and tone of it feels as though it could have been given yesterday, as it's so friendly and warm.

A wealth of information as usual.

Fancy hedgehogs snoring! :D
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Spitfire, I think the "friendly and warm" tone is what makes Enid Blyton's nature-writing (and much of her other writing too) stand out. Many of the youngsters who read Enid Blyton's magazine pages, or whose teachers shared the pages with them, would write in to her and she would reply, so she built up a rapport with her audience. No wonder we get a sense of the personality behind the words as we read a Blyton book. As a child, I loved Enid's appeals to the reader which often came at the end of a short story, e.g. "Would you like to see the one [i.e. the pattern] you made last year? What do you think it would be like? I would love to know." ('Father Time and His Pattern Book'). Or "I wish I knew whether they did learn it [their lesson] or not. Do you think they did?" ('Santa Claus is Surprising'). Or "And now Jock, Jessie and the brownie are really great friends, and see each other every week. Maybe they'll show you that green and yellow door in the hillside if you ask them." ('Ring the Bell and Run Away'). Such remarks felt very intimate, as though Enid Blyton were speaking to me directly and including me in her circle.

There is such a lot in these monthly notes which could have been expanded on in the 1920s classroom (they could also be adapted for use today). The October notes might serve as a starting point for children to hunt for autumn-themed poems by various poets; write their own autumn-themed poems; go out for a walk in order to sketch, record and collect things for a nature table; or do reasearch on hibernation, the migration of birds, the names of the months, Sir Christopher Wren, Nelson or Captain Cook. The research may perhaps lead to a written project or an oral presentation to the class, making use of visual aids. There is scope for arts and crafts too. Enterprising youngsters might try making a scale model of Nelson's Column or drawing a map of Cook's voyages, etc. Pupils could be given a choice of activities, allowing them the chance to develop their personal abilities and interests.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Ming »

I just read Notes for October. I agree with all that it's warm and heartening writing, but I find it more interesting to read because almost everything depicted is so vastly different from what I have seen over the years.

It was also educational to read about the anniversaries - most of the information presented is about things I don't give any conscious thought to, but once I read about it, I felt a bit ashamed of myself for not knowing about any of this earlier! :oops:

One particular word I noticed was "savages", used in the paragraph about Captain Cook. What would they be called these days? :roll:
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Spitfire »

Anita Bensoussane wrote: As a child, I loved Enid's appeals to the reader which often came at the end of a short story, e.g. "Would you like to see the one [i.e. the pattern] you made last year? What do you think it would be like? I would love to know." ('Father Time and His Pattern Book')...
... Such remarks felt very intimate, as though Enid Blyton were speaking to me directly and including me in her circle.
Yes!! – you do have a way of putting things so well! – that’s exactly how it felt for me, too, and I suppose for countless other children over the years. I know that the ‘direct address’ technique is considered old fashioned now, but Enid Blyton used it in such a natural way that her readers were never likely to feel patronised or self-conscious, even when she was gently inviting them to reflect on their own personal lives, or asking their opinion, as in the examples you have given.

I also think that using direct address at the end of her stories gives the reader a chance to disengage more gently from the story, something that is particularly valuable in her novels. But whether in full-length or short stories, the technique (which she seems to have used quite instinctively) serves a gentle reminder of authorial control. Personally, I always found this reassuring. I love that Enid Blyton apparently enjoyed the stories every bit as much as her reader (like at the end of Last Term at Malory Towers: ‘And good-bye to you, Darrell, and good luck. We’ve loved knowing you. Good-bye!’) Despite being the author, she often seemed surprised and amused at the things that her characters did: ‘Funny old Twiddle – he does get things wrong if he can, doesn’t he?’ (‘Mr. Twiddle and the Bulbs’ from Don’t be silly, Mr. Twiddle.)

Incidentally, 'Father Time and His Pattern Book' is my most favourite of all of my favourite Enid Blyton short stories. (As you might guess, there are quite a few favourites!). There is something about this one, something magical but solemn, which makes it extra special to me.
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Spitfire wrote:Yes!! – you do have a way of putting things so well!
Thanks, Spitfire! I think the same about you!
Spitfire wrote:I love that Enid Blyton apparently enjoyed the stories every bit as much as her reader (like at the end of Last Term at Malory Towers: ‘And good-bye to you, Darrell, and good luck. We’ve loved knowing you. Good-bye!’) Despite being the author, she often seemed surprised and amused at the things that her characters did: ‘Funny old Twiddle – he does get things wrong if he can, doesn’t he?’
Yes, her enthusisam is apparent - and it does feel as though she's observing the characters rather than inventing the stories. The reader sometimes feels her presence even in the middle of a story, for example at the end of Chapter 24 in The Ring O' Bells Mystery where she comments on the action and urges the characters to flee:

There, seated round a candle on a table in the room, were three men and a woman!

The gang must have come early! Run, Barney, run, Roger and Snubby. Run for your very lives!

Spitfire wrote:Incidentally, 'Father Time and His Pattern Book' is my most favourite of all of my favourite Enid Blyton short stories. (As you might guess, there are quite a few favourites!). There is something about this one, something magical but solemn, which makes it extra special to me.
It's my favourite too! I loved it as a child and still love it now. It casts a spell over me and makes me stop and ponder. When my children were younger, I read 'Father Time and His Pattern Book' aloud to them on New Year's Eve five or six years running.
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Lovely "Seasonal Notes" for November 1929, and as usual I learnt something. Despite having studied Anglo-Saxon history I had no idea that "The early Saxons, our ancestors, used to call this month the Blood Month, because it was then that they killed their cattle for the winter."

It's poignant to read Enid's statement that "we keep the Two Minutes' Silence to remind us of the men who gave their lives on the battlefield, and also so that we may make a fresh resolve not to go to war any more." The Second World War was to begin only ten years later.

Interesting that John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress is mentioned. Enid Blyton was to write her own version of that story years later - The Land of Far-Beyond.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

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Ming wrote: One particular word I noticed was "savages", used in the paragraph about Captain Cook. What would they be called these days? :roll:
Immigrants? :wink:
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Re: Site Updates - Teachers World Seasonal Notes

Post by Katharine »

Another fascinating glimpse into the past. I've sometimes wondered how long the tradition of Poppy Day has been around, I thought perhaps it was only started after WWII, but obviously not.
I wonder if the seasons have altered slightly since 1929, or perhaps Enid was referring to late November. I know it's only 1st today, but around here the trees are still full of leaves, and there is plenty of wildlife about.
I was also interested to see Enid recommending Pilgrims Progress as a book for children. I've got a copy which I started to read a few months ago. I haven't got past more than a few pages and found it heavy going and very dull. I will force myself to finish reading it one day, but so far have no inclination to pick it up again. If I feel like that as an adult, I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have been able to manage to get through it as a child.
I do find it fascinating the Enid is talking about the end of conflict, and yet as Anita pointed out, there was yet another world war still to come. Now WWII is something we learn about in history books. Mostly when I read Enid Blyton, I feel her writing is timeless, but every now and again something like that crops up and I realise that she was writing a long time ago.
Another interesting point was the comment that the sun will have set by the time the children came out of school, as it set at 6 minutes to 4!!!!! All the schools around me finish at 3.15!
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