Going to the television room in school

JanaMay

I went to primary school in the 80s and remember fondly the mornings when we got to go to the 'Television Room' - about 50/60 children sitting on the floor, on a threadbare carpet. Was great fun.

The only programmes I (vaguely) remember are 'How we used to live' - I think it was a drama set in Britain during WW2. Another one was 'Geordie Racer' - about a man who had carrier pigeons. And something about 'Benger and Bunce' (I'm not sure of the names). Although I think they might have been in the series of Geordie Racer, anyway they were two burglars.

Then there was a programme with songs - every week a different song about a different story: one was about a girl who ran away and started 'At six o'clock,the town hall clock begins to strike once more. It's such a pest when you need rest and you have to sleep on the floor. So I'm going home tomorrow, I'm going home for sure. I've had enough of sorrow, I can't take anymore'. (Our teachers obviously thought that was what 5-year-olds wanted to see.) Another one about a peregrine falcon, but I can't remember the words.

I'd love to show them to my own children now, but 30+ years later my memories are a bit fuzzy.

Anyone else remember the pure joy when Muinteoir said it was time to go to the television room?

EDIT: it was 'Geordie Racer'. Just had a flashback!

lertsnim

A TV room? How fancy. We had a tv and vcr on a rickety old trolley that was wheeled between rooms. It was a great time when you saw it.

JanaMay

Yeah sometimes the TV was wheeled in. But there were no curtains in the classrooms so we couldn't see anything! The television room had the windows painted black. Probably so we couldn't see how dirty it was!

SEPT 23 1989

Televisions?

We had slide projectors in primary school

iDave

lertsnim wrote: »

A TV room? How fancy. We had a tv and vcr on a rickety old trolley that was wheeled between rooms. It was a great time when you saw it.

This.

Although it was usually some sh1te about religion.
Still loved the novelty.

The Backwards Man

TV room.

La di fcuking da.

We had the TV on the trolley too. All the educational programmes in the morning on BBC2, better then any of the rubbish that's on daytime telly today.

You know what I blame for the dumbing down of educational standards in the last twenty five years? Supermarket Sweep.

JanaMay

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Televisions?

We had slide projectors in primary school

How did you get to see the fantastic 'Look and Read' BBC programmes? :eek: Slide projectors were for the stories that started 'Lá brea breathaillach (?sp) a bhí ann. Ní raibh scamaill sa spéir...'

ChippingSodbury

The Backwards Man wrote: »

TV room.

La di fcuking da.

We had the TV on the trolley too. All the educational programmes in the morning on BBC2, better then any of the rubbish that's on daytime telly today.

You know what I blame for the dumbing down of educational standards in the last twenty five years? Supermarket Sweep.

You had it soft. All we had was a cardboard box with a hole cut out for a screen. One of the teachers then pretended to be on the telly...

Toto Wolfcastle

I remember those slide projectors. I hated them but when my report arrived that year the teacher said I loved them.

At some point in secondary school TVs were put in every classroom. It was great for the days the Geography teacher couldn't be arsed teaching. She had a great collection of natural disaster films.

JanaMay

iDave wrote: »

This.

Although it was usually some sh1te about religion.
Still loved the novelty.

Strangely, for a convent school, we never watched stuff about religion. Probably because we spent the rest of the day learning about it.

The Backwards Man

JanaMay wrote: »

Strangely, for a convent school, we never watched stuff about religion. Probably because we spent the rest of the day learning about it.

Lads, she went to one of the posh schools, that's why they had a TV room. Mystery solved

whiskeyman

So true

Badly Drunk Boy

We didn't have a television room, just the telly & video on a trolley, as previously mentioned. I don't know why, but once in 'Religion', we were shown the first Batman film, with Michael Keaton. Well, half of it. the class wasn't long enough to watch the whole thing.

JanaMay

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Lads, she went to one of the posh schools, that's why they had a TV room. Mystery solved

If only you knew! My primary school was called a lot of things but never posh! There were 3/4 posh kids in my class...we knew how to recognise them because they were the only ones who didn't devour the rancid 'corned beef' sandwiches and milk that we used to eat after they'd been left in the corridors for hours. I can still remember the smell...

maudgonner

JanaMay wrote: »

How did you get to see the fantastic 'Look and Read' BBC programmes? :eek: Slide projectors were for the stories that started 'Lá brea breathaillach (?sp) a bhí ann. Ní raibh scamaill sa spéir...'

This will induce flashbacks

Boom_Bap

When that TV and Video player was wheeled in on the trolley, my days, it was magical.
And then when someone had a remote control watch, the glory! Turning the TV off midway through a video and looking at the teacher struggle to figure out the problem.

In my kids school now, they have a projector in each room, in built speakers and lots of other fancy kit.

No room in my schools though.

cml387

TV's, slide projectors my god.

When the TV series Buntus Cainte started on tv the primary schools were equipped with a felt covered board and cartoon figures with sandpaper backs which "stuck" (or failed to stick) on the board. This was to be used in conjunction with the series.
The height of sophistication considering we were still using pens with nibs and inkwells.

God I'm old.

K-9

I don't remember the programmes ye are on about.

We had a sex ed one in 3rd year I think and the Ireland vs. England European Championship qualifier in 91 I think. Finished 1-1 IIRC.

I remember our teacher bringing the radio in for Cheltenham in primary school, his horse won and he drank a lot of coffee that day, with a sly naggin bottle in his jacket.

The_Valeyard

Kids are spoiled today in schools with their personal ipads, 3d projectors and interactive whiteboards.

All we had was a blackboard and slide projector, and a duster that would occasionally be fired down the room if we were talking!!!

FalconGirl

Ahh yes the Tv. We were sent to get the TV and VCR one day and as we were racing it around the corridors, went around the corner at quite a speed and with the laws of physics the TV & VCR ended up smashed on the floor. That was a difficult one to explain to the crazy German teacher.

maudgonner

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Kids are spoiled today in schools with their personal ipads, 3d projectors and interactive whiteboards.

All we had was a blackboard and slide projector, and a duster that would occasionally be fired down the room if we were talking!!!

Yeah, but every so often one of us would be chosen to clean the blackboard duster - go outside and hit it off the wall for 10 minutes. So we were luckier than today's kids really.

endacl

ChippingSodbury wrote: »

You had it soft. All we had was a cardboard box with a hole cut out for a screen. One of the teachers then pretended to be on the telly...

La_Gordy

When Muzzy would come on! :0

K-9

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Kids are spoiled today in schools with their personal ipads, 3d projectors and interactive whiteboards.

All we had was a blackboard and slide projector, and a duster that would occasionally be fired down the room if we were talking!!!

One guy in my clasz got a hammer thrown at him, seriously.

He broke the drill bit on a lathe in metal work and the hamner landed a foot away from him from 20 yards. We just stared, sniggered and got on with it!

Turtyturd

We had a TV on a trolley that probably got seen by each class twice a year. Remember it being wheeled in for the Ireland v Norn Iron World Cup qualifier, think we were allowed home at half time.

Also had a computer which was seen once every two years, where you would spend an hour waiting for some sh!tty game to load and one lucky kid would get to stand in front of the computer to input the choices of 25 other kids. Naturally they'd always put in the choice of the kids who could beat them up.

ScumLord

All I remember about the trolley TV was a nun showing us the film walkabout.

kfallon

Turtyturd wrote: »

We had a TV on a trolley that probably got seen by each class twice a year. Remember it being wheeled in for the Ireland v Norn Iron World Cup qualifier, think we were allowed home at half time.

I remember that too, think it was a 1pm kick off but we had lunchbreak from 1pm to 1.30pm so they wouldn't allow us into the main hall to watch it on the telly til lunchbreak was over. Luckily Ireland didn't score til just before half time (Ronnie Whelan ya little rooster!!! )

franer1970

Slide projector sounds like a luxury too. We had a film strip projector - you had to had to pull a strip of 35mm film through the thing one frame at a time for a slideshow type effect.

Graces7

There was no such thing as TV when I started school. Old I am! The first person in our street to get one was a teacher from school and she used sometimes to let the kids in to watch Kit Carson... By the year of the Coronation, TVs were more common but very limited ( that was 1953 by the way. OP; the programme " How we Used to live " was a brilliant series. Hey! It is on YOUTUBE! wow! Set in several different times and so well researched etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_We_Used_To_Live Will watch it again myself....THANK YOU!

Ruu

No TV room but we got to see some of the Irish qualifiers on the rickety TV trolley. Also Schindler's List in sixth class, teacher had to shout loudly over the sex scene and eventually leave the room much to our celebration.

Ah yes Pól agus a chairde, a cute hoor!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

We never had TV at school at all. There was nothing on during the day back then anyway. I started school in 1948 so we didn't even know what a television was. By the time I left secondary school in 1962 the TV still hadn't made an appearance. Mrs S was a teacher and remembers the first TV in a spare classroom and bringing kids down once a week to watch 'educational' programmes. She says it was the highlight of the week for many kids. They then progressed to the TV being rolled into a class when needed, then video came along and the TV usage shot up.

branie2

ScumLord wrote: »

All I remember about the trolley TV was a nun showing us the film walkabout.

You had a very liberal teacher!