A little insight into the history of Croftamie Primary School is offered through the gift of the family of the late Ailsa Stirling (1927 – 2016), who was head teacher of the school, 1967 – 1992. She was very well known in the field of education, speaking of her experience as a teacher in a rural area at conferences in several Scandinavian countries and elsewhere.
Shown here are some of the teaching aids used by Ailsa during her time as a teacher – the belt or ‘Lochgelly’ strap used to control unruly pupils, until banned by the European Court of Human Rights in 1982, the school bell, which was a simple hand bell, cracked through use and repaired with solder, and a poster from the 1930s, one of a complete set of 84, showing scenes from daily life from the local to the international. With an interest in the history of teaching, she also had a box of Cuisenaire rods, developed by the educational specialist Georges Cuisenaire and used for teaching mathematics in the 1950s as well as a good selection of hobby and crafting books.
When Croftamie Primary School closed and the remaining pupils were transferred to Drymen, Ailsa Stirling wrote a complete history of the school, 1907 – 1997, which is part of the record
NB: Photo by Forth Valley College student volunteer Alan Gardiner
Comments(2)
Madelaine Batchelor says
18th July 2020 at 8:20 PMMy grandmother, Jessie Mary Munro taught at this school from about 1914-1916. She lodged with the stationmaster, Mr Mackie, his wife and three children Archie, Edie, and Ian. The children attended the school.
Maybe you could tell me where it might be possible to read a copy of Ailsa Stirling’s book
Museum Administrator says
20th July 2020 at 10:58 AMHi Madelaine, a wee search revealed that the National Library of Scotland holds this book so you can ask your local library to get it for you as an inter-library loan. The full title is: The history of Croftamie School, 1907-1997 (2007). Enjoy!