Banished Prince Charming

Chapter 93 - Plans For Education System

"So, what can we do at this moment Eagle? You somehow knew that I had ordered the slates from Marcel at Delabole of Cromwell in Wales. It may take some time though for the slates to be ordered and come through. I guess Marcel had delegated the duty to source for the items to other travelling merchants, I guess."

"Well, Sir, first and foremost there are actually 4 of us who are quite qualified to teach basic elementary understanding on how to read and write as well as simple Math." Eagle began to elaborate on what he had in his mind.

"Lady Heather and you would be good with children and I personally think this once everything had settled down, we would be able to hold these 2 hours mandatory class for these children daily."

"Secondly, I am able to imply some livelihood skills into general learning for the town folks here in GraceHaven so that they could incorporate what they had in their experience and turn them into a curriculum in the class."

"Thirdly, Michele here also would be able to chip in and teach the a.d.u.l.ts here as well. She would teach both men and their spouses as long as those above the age of 12. In this mixed group, at least they would be encouraged to challenge one another to learn as fast as they can."

I pondered what Eagle had said to me and I find it fairly feasible to educate the citizens especially in learning how to read and write. Not only it would improve their status but it also enables them to read notices that would be posted in the courtyard instead once the nightly conference had already lost its flavour.

"I agree with your first point of view. Both Lady Heather and I would be able to handle the class of children for two hours daily. Each of us would think of a programme to entice them on how to read and write. What do you think, Heather?"

"Any suggestions?" I pointed out to Heather as she was sitting there with some paper and a quill pen, supposedly penning her thoughts as she spoke up.

"I have been thinking. These children loved to have song and games in their studies to make them have the ability to grasp what they would be learning."

"Recognising the characters and learning how to write them is equally important. No worries, Mars and I could be able to excite these kids to song and dance to these alphabets."

"It may take some time for them to recognise words but it's going to be a start. There would be 2 groups, the ones under 5-year-old and those above so it would be a good start."

"I do have some song and dance to make them sing along and recite the alphabets," Heather recalled the time when she was teaching the children with much difficulty until she started to sing the alphabets to them.

"How about you, Michelle? What methods are you going to imply?" I queried her as she was staring quite blankly and have no idea whatsoever in her mind to teach.

"I... Err... Err... I don't really know how to teach. But I think I'm going to teach them how to recognise words and distinguish them. In other words, I would be using their names as a reference. In this way, they might spark an interest in how their names would appear in writing and from there, they would make an effort to learn how to read and write each other's names. What do you think?"

Michelle was looking quite comical as she was scratching the back of her head and at the same time making faces as though her answer was not what we would have expected.

"Splendid idea. At least those future students of yours would have some inspiration to learn. Eagle, how about yourself? You are going to be part of the teaching group right?" I inquired as Eagle answered with a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes Sir, of course, I too, would be involved. I would be handling the math part and make use of their professions to tease their minds. They may not know they would be learning math but I will put in such a way that their minds would work on overdrive." Eagle proposed and it sounded wonderful at that time.

During university days, Eagle also known as Bishop Levingstone was a great educator and he was able to work people's minds to think outside the box. Engaging them in general questions and answers would inadvertently make them involved in putting their minds into gear and right into the subject of matters.

I knew of Eagle's methodology and it works every time. At the end of the day, his students before not only learnt about the current subject, but he too had opened up a new window for his students on a whole new view of his teaching methods.

"Hahaha. I knew what you going to do. And even before you mention it, I will totally agree with your idea. It's going to be fresh and your students would not even know what hit them and slowly they realise that they are all learning in their class after all."

Everyone agreed and had a clear impression as to what would come in the future for the citizens of GraceHaven. Not only would the citizens be able to read and write, but at least these would also open up several opportunities for them such as being merchants.

Since the overwhelming sales that had taken place earlier with Marcel, the amount gained from those sales alone was sky-rocketing indeed. Besides, the goods that Marvel had taken was only slightly less than 25% of the whole stock that had been produced by GraceHaven.

We may or may not need to have travelling merchants in the future but I am sure there might a case of such a trading post in the future. Who knows, one day GraceHaven would grow to be one of the major influences of trade through the waterways.

As I was wading in my own thoughts, Heather nudged me to wake me up from my daydream as she announces, "The clay tray that would be used by the students had already been left to sun baked and it would be midday tomorrow before it would be ready to be fired in the furnace."

"These clay tray would have a layer of flour and it could be traced with the fingers of children to make out alphabets and letters. I think the other classes would be able to share the usage of those trays as well." Heather concluded her progress for the temporary slates that we had used earlier at the bakery.

"That's a pretty neat idea, Lady Heather. I am sure the young ones would be able to catch up with their lessons in a more efficient manner. Besides, these children have a more active mind so they would be able to grasp what they learn in the class more readily."

I was glad that everything had finally fallen in place and would soon embark on a new journey for the citizens pretty soon. Once the domain, a general warehouse and perhaps an infirmary and a classroom, we would soon good to go to forge a better livelihood for the citizens.

We soon concluded the conference and I stayed back with Heather to note down the details in the journal. In this way, we would always be able to reflect back on our past conferences and be able to track those we had achieved and those that were put on hold.

=*=

Somewhere upriver about 50 miles away from GraceHaven, a fairly large group of Irish Travellers, that made up of more than 12 mixed families were setting up camp and collecting water to prepare for their meals.

They had been travelling for hundreds of miles away searching for good pastures for their livestock, while some offer their services to mend simple household items as well as perform simple barter trade as they go into small villages and other settlements.

As the Irish Travellers hopped their way from one settlement to another, they had discovered that some smaller settlements were abandoned as settlers left their homes and moved on to bigger and well-developed towns, thus making the lives of these Irish Travellers harder due to the dwindling civilisations that normally dotted along the riverbanks.

There was simply nothing useful to salvage from these small settlements as the settlers had taken all their valuables and easy to carry items with them as they left their homes. The leader of the Irish Travellers named Macintosh voiced out his sentiments to those who had long bear the hardship as the families moved on from one place to another.

".sklof llew tseR .ereht morf nac ew tahw tuo dnif dna kaerb yad retfa thgir gnivom eb dluow eW .ereh morf raf ton tnemelttes a no swen emos thguorb dah dniW .ey raeH" Macintosh addresses the group that had been travelling together in gobbledygook to confuse those "Borders" who seemed to try hard to learn their secret language.

It merely meant, "Hear ye. Wind had brought some news on a settlement not far from here. We would be moving right after daybreak and find out what we can from there. Rest well folks."

The group of Irish Travellers quickly prepared their meals and made a small fire to keep themselves warm in the night as well as keep their livestock from harm, especially from predators.

Hearing the news from their leader, they were elated as they thought that they would once again be able to earn something or gain a trade for an exchange for grains and other whatnot. There were a group of hunter-gatherers with them, so there was quite a lot of pelt where they could do their trade with.

After their simple meal, the families bundled off to sleep in makeshift tents, out in the open with their sleeping bags or in the wagons with their little ones.

The anticipation of meeting another civilisation after more than a month of travelling gave them a flicker of hope in their hearts as they counted off the goods that they wish to trade as well as prepare the tools of their trade in order to tinker and fix the everyday household items.

The families were exposed to the harsh living conditions just like their grazing livestock and they did not complain any bit. They felt that being together in the same ethnic group gave them a sense of security. Besides, they felt that they are part of a minority group that was constantly being ousted and ostracized. An ethnic slur usually accompanied them, no matter how they dislike and oppose it, there was nothing they could do about it.

Frankly, their lives depended more on their skills and not their interpersonal and communication skills as they were constantly looked down upon, even by commoners.