"In the years immediately after the Second World War, I moved up from the industrial South Wales to teach in the rural peace of Mid Wales.
I still remember the South Wales of my youth with tremendous affection but I have now become such a country bumpkin that the very thought of heaving traffic in a land where so few of my friends are left fills me with delight at the way my life has panned out. The landscape and the people here have taught me so much, brought me so much pleasure and, most of all, filled me with enough fun to last a dozen lifetimes.
In the early days, at least, the people who taught me most were the children I was supposed to be teaching. In those days the school garden was a vital ingredient of education and my pupils were way ahead of me while, when it came to Nature Study, as it was then called, I trailed behind them blushing with shame. But there was fun galore.
There was the time when I was drawing attention to the difference in spelling between the words 'you', 'yew' and 'ewe'. All went well with the second person singular and the tree but when it came to the female sheep they all looked at me in bewilderment until the penny eventually dropped and somebody shouted out, 'That's not a 'ewe'.. It's a 'yow'...' So I received a lesson in the local dialect.
That was at the school where I learned from Annie, the dear old cook, that team spirit among the entire school staff provided education far beyond the academic. Very often at dinner she would tell the children, 'When you've finished go out and pick me some blackberries - but make sure you're back before the bell goes." The following day there would be blackberry tart for pudding.
Very often, when Annie had cleared up in the afternoon there would be a tap on the classroom door and Annie would appear with a tray of her home-made toffee. Both classes, especially the infants, found that long final stretch of the afternoon much more bearable. No doubt the School Dentist would have hit the roof but we tried to balance things up by reminding the children about dental hygiene and the need for a sense of proportion." By Dilwyn Jones.
More about Aberhafesp.
your comments
Ryan, Aberhafesp
I used to go to aberhafesp scool and it was fantastic good luck to the year sixs in their sats.
Wed Jun 18 14:22:02 2008
Jemma
I like aberhafesp school it's really fun.great for making friends! Mr Thomas makes the lessons intresting and fun!
Mon Apr 14 09:24:54 2008
Zoe,Newtown
I am William's niece and i think he is wrong. It's really fun...
Sun Nov 11 18:22:50 2007
William, Aberhafesp
I was in Aberhafesp school for a very long time and my brother and sister are still learning there and I think the new headteacher is quite good but not so good
Thu Nov 8 11:42:29 2007
Katie Hopkins, Aberhafesp
I like Aberhafesp school it's fun, we play hockey and football and other games. You get to make a lot of friends. We have a new headteacher Mr Thomas, he makes our learning fun. Aberhafesp school is great!
Wed Apr 25 17:07:49 2007
charlotte
aberhafesp school is a good school for making friends and I have made lots of friends when I started and I like it a lot.
Fri Sep 29 17:18:55 2006
James Garratt Aberhaesp
The chldren of Aberhafesp School have already started to think about the centenary. We are making a mosaic with Ingrid Maugham. The mosaic will be mounted on the school wall where everyone can see it.
Fri Sep 22 11:55:30 2006
Gareth Jones, Manchester
My grandfather, JW Jones, was headmaster at Aberhafesp from I think the late 1940s/early 1950s until sometime in the 1960s when he went to be a head at Newtown before retiring. He died in 1979. I would be interested to hear of any recollections.
Tue Aug 8 09:48:09 2006
Brian Nutting - Doncaster
Does anyone remember the Nutting family at Glanrhyd Farm next to the school?
Mon Aug 7 15:06:57 2006
Linda Broughall, Lllanidloes
Please look at the current school website www.aberhafesp.powys.sch.uk. I am sure that Dilwyn will be pleased to know that the school garden is still a central part of our school with Dewi the Dragon overseeing everything that happens there! We will be celebrating our centenary in 2009! Linda Broughall - current Headteacher.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Wed Mar 1 18:44:54 2006
julie from Aberhafesp
i've lived in aberhafesp since i was born and it is one of the most relaxing places in the country when i'm out the house he he he oh i'd like to say hello to everyone my famile and louise my neice hi
Fri Nov 4 10:53:27 2005
Nicola Garratt from Liverpool
Hello I used to go to Aberhafesp primary school with my old friends Alice, Sophie, David, Ellie and more (hi). It was such a lovely school. Aberhafesp is such a lovely village. My family live there but I moved to Liverpool to start a family life with boyfriend Daniel and my daughter Louise. I still go back to visit though coz its one of those peaceful places where u just cant stay away.
Mon Sep 26 15:55:37 2005
Taffy
I know that the Germans bombed Llanwnog, as they fell in the fields near the vicarage !
Tue Apr 26 23:40:41 2005
Do you have memories of school days in Mid Wales? Were you at Aberhafesp School when Dilwyn taught there? How have things changes? Add your comments and memories here:
At the end of the Second World War, Dilwyn Jones moved from industrial South Wales to the rural village of Aberhafesp near Newtown in Powys. Here, he recalls his time as a teacher in the local primary school. 
