There’s a Website That Collects Old School Notebooks

By
Jovana A
-

Exercise Book Archive is a website devoted to collecting children’s school notebooks from around the world. They aim to create a big digital archive and it currently dates back to the 18th century with one 1773 entry. There are notebooks from the UK, Italy, Ghana, China, Finland, Brazil, and many other countries.

Exercise Book Archive relies on volunteers to add notebooks to their ever-growing collection and to help the world learn more about the history of education.

“Everybody is invited to contribute to the growth of the collection by lending or donating old exercise books, diaries, and letters, and by volunteering to transcribe and translate their contents,” their website reads.

They have an Instagram account where they share interesting items from the archive. You can support the project by following them there.

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"A quarrel", composition of a 4th grade school boy from Bergamo (Italy), 1978. (Full translation and original text in the comments) A QUARREL I’m at the desk and I’m listening to the lesson that the teacher is explaining to us, but more than anything I’m thinking about how long it will take her to let us have recess. I’m worried about how this interval will go, because my classmate Stefano wants to avenge me because I pulled a prank on him. Finally, in a certain sense, unfortunately, it is time for recess. In the stridency of the chairs I hear Stefano’s voice calling a small group of males: probably grouping up to beat me. In fact, the little group of children surrounds me; soon, I think to myself, the drawings will rise, and their rustling will be the background to the screams. The boys, at a signal from Stefano, group up and take me. I, who am very strong, take a child and trip him by dropping him on his back on the floor. He shouts: “Hey! Get him.” In a hurry I run between the desks to hide, but little Stefano, full of anger, sees me slipping between the benches and with a jump he gets behind me, he clungs to my knees and trips me. I must react, but I’m afraid; what should I be afraid of? I am afraid of the most absurd thing, of hurting him. He seems to me, in front of me, a small helpless being, but he is not, he is strong. I get up almost convinced to forgive him, but the others jump me pushing me from one to the other. Suddenly I rush towards Stefano and it seems to me that this is the real struggle. He throws his right fist into my belly and it hurts, but I grab him by the collar and pull him up and down the ground aggressively. Then I pull him again, but I am stopped by a child who trips me and takes me by the collar, dividing me from Stefano. Stefano tells him «Macaco» and he, almost gladly, answers «Thanks». Fortunately, that child divided us, or I would have become furious and dangerous. And also, because the teacher arrived after a while and if she had seen us fighting, it would have been trouble. (The text continues in the comments 👇)

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"The Boeing": composition of an elementary school girl from France, 1973. (Original text below)⠀ ⠀ THE BOEING⠀ At the airport the charming Boeing awaits passengers who must leave for America. Some have already climbed on the beautiful plane, others are registering their baggage.⠀ Some children went to buy some treats for the trip. A hostess guides the passengers on the catwalk that leads to the plane. The reactors begin to rumble: what a noise! Fascinating and obedient, the elegant Boeing launches into the blue sky. Through the portholes we see France disappear quickly and we see the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving at destination, our Boeing lands on a New York runway after twelve hours and thirty minutes of flight. Numb, travellers get off the plane to reach their destinations.⠀ ⠀ LE BOEING⠀ Dans l’aéroport le gracieux boeing attend les voyageurs qui doivent partir pour l’Amerique. Quelques uns sont déjá montés dans le bel avion, d’autres font enregistrer leurs bagages. Des enfants sont allés s’acheter des bonbons pour le voyage. Une hôtésse de l’air conduit les passagers sur la passerelle qui mène à l’avion. Les réacteurs commencent à vrombir: Quel bruit!⠀ Gracieux et obéissant, l’élégant boeing s’élance dans le ciel bleu. Par les hublots nous voyons la France disparaître avec rapidité et on aperçoit l’océan atlantique; Arrivé à destination, notre boeing se pose sur une piste de New York après onze heures trente minute de vol. Engourdis, les voyageurs descendent de l’avion pour leurs destination.

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"Spring sow": composition of a 4th grade school boy from Yantai (Shandong Province, China), late 1930s. (Original text below)⠀ ⠀ SPRING SOW⠀ It’s spring. It’s time to plow the field. When I had lunch, my father asked me to do some work in Nanbo. As I left my village I saw an old farmer who was driving two donkeys crying loud in the field. He was wearing a worn-out straw hat and clothes. I went to him and asked, “Why are you working this hard?” “Alas,” said he. “If I don’t sow early in spring, I will starve to death in fall.”⠀ ⠀ 春耕⠀ 現在到了春天，已經好耕田了，有一天先生放學吃午飯，吃遇午飯後，我的爸爸叫我去南泊去做工，我已經走到了尊命普至村外，看見一個老農夫，趕著兩個驢子，在田裡大聲喊叫的耕田，頭上戴了一個破草帽，身上還穿著破衣裳，我就趕緊跑過去與他說，你為什麼很辛苦的耕田呢？唉，老頭農說春天若不早播種，恐秋天就得挨餓呢就將致有挨餓之念吧。

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"The flag on the bell tower", composition of an Italian middle school girl who emigrated to Genestrerio, a small town in Switzerland now part of the city of Mendrisio, during World War II. February 1945. (Original text in the comments) THE FLAG ON THE BELL TOWER A few days ago, they raised the beautiful Swiss flag on the bell tower of Ligornetto. They put it up there as a signal to foreign planes that are on the neutral territory of Switzerland. Because a few days ago they strafed and dropped bombs on the Swiss territory of Chiasso. They said it was a mistake because with all the snow they could not see the Swiss flags. But since this mistake has been repeated several times it was thought to put the flags on the bell towers and on the important buildings. Therefore, it was also placed on the bell tower of Ligornetto. When I go to school, I always look at it. It waves in the sky and seems to touch it. From a distance you can clearly see the white cross in the middle of the red. The flag flutters at the slightest blow of wind in the beautiful Helvetian sky. But even the flags were not enough as a signal to the aviators because they still strafed the soil of our homeland, so then the cannons were placed to strike them.

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“My scissors”, composition of a French school girl, 1883. [Original text below] MY SCISSORS Mom gave me a nice pair of scissors. They are very comfortable, and they cut well. When asked, quickly, I offer my pair to show them. They are made of nickel and are as shiny as mirrors. They cut coats, vests, trousers, dresses. Without my scissors, I could not make a buttonhole, I could not cut small pieces of fabric, I could not cut the fabric to make a dress. Scissors are always useful, and you cannot go on without them. Those who do not have them at their disposal are obliged to ask their neighbour and this can be very annoying. From my part, if I did not have scissors, I would be very unhappy. I have a couple, and I would not trade them with the money they cost. MES CISEAUX Maman m’a fait cadeau d’une jolie paire de ciseaux. Ils sont très comodes et coupent bien. Lorsqu’on en demande, vite, j’offre ma paire pour la faire voir. Ils sont fabriqués en neker; et ils sont brillants comme des miroirs. Un jour, un commis q Ils coupent paletots, gilets, pantalons, robes. Sans mes ciseaux, je ne pourrais pas me fabriquer une boutonnière, je ne pourrais couper le morceau de toile qui m’est nécessaire, ni celui pour faire une robe. Les ciseaux sont nécessaires toujours et on ne peut s’en passer. Celui qui n’en a pas à son service est obligé d’aller demander des ciseaux à son voisin et cela est très ennuyeux. Pour moi, si je n’avais pas de ciseaux, je me trouverais bien malheureuse. J’en ai une paire ; mais je ne voudrais la changer pour l’argent qu’elle a coûté.

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Letter (probably a dictation) in the exercise book of an elementary school girl from Barcelona, 1941. [Original text below] LETTER Dear friend. I take this opportunity to inform you of the misfortune that happened to Ana P., who left school without permission from the teacher or her parents. At the corner she met her friends and had the misfortune of being hit by a truck; they had to take her to the hospital, but it was not too serious; God punished her so that she would not do it again. It was a good example for all our classmates, and I hope it will be for you as well as it was for me. I hope to hear from you soon and that your news is not as bad as mine. Regards from your friend. Conchita CARTA Querida amiga. Con motivo de la presente, es para comunicarte la desgracia ocurrida a Ana P. que se ha marchado del colegio sin permiso de la maestra ni de sus padres. En la esquina encontró a sus amigas y tuvo la mala suerte de pillarla un camión, la tuvieron que llevar a la clinica pero por ahora no ha sido grave; Dios la castigó para que no volviera a hacerlo más. Ha sido un buen ejemplo para todas nuestras condiscipulas y espero que para ti tambien lo va ha ser como lo ha sido para mí. Esperqando tener pronto noticias tuyas y que no sean tan malas como las mias. Se despide tu amiga. Conchita

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