Aileymill’s Gallus Galoshans
Isabel Lind , the headteacher of Aileymill Primary, Greenock, writes to update us on their ongoing language project to make pupils aware of Scots language.
“In over 40 years of teaching and almost thirty as a headteacher here and at Saracen and Ravenscraig primary schools, the Expressive Arts and the importance of them in the primary curriculum have always been my passion and enthusiasm. I have no special skills in them but my love for them and commitment has allowed me to be part of the 5-14 Review and Development Group and for a very brief period, Chair of the Expressive Arts Group for the Curriculum for Excellence.
Since becoming Headteacher of Aileymill in 2009, I have become increasingly concerned about the use of our Scots Language. With the fantastic advances in ICT it seems that through the computer’s default we are being encouraged to speak in ‘American English’ and so our initiative to preserve and develop our use of our local Scots Language has been born and is part of our school improvement plan.
We began with ‘Gallus Galoshans’ – a campaign led by P7 teacher Mrs Catriona Miller. ‘Galoshans ‘ – is the Inverclyde name for guising and we are very anxious to maintain this. (no trick or treating at Aileymill!!) The campaign has met with more success than we could have hoped, receiving support from the local community and the press. Classes designed Gallus Galoshans posters with the best one in each going on display and the overall favourite being sent to the printers.
Our Primary 7 pupils then took the posters out into the community and the town centre. Everywhere they went the children were given a warm welcome and we all felt it was a very positive experience. Two attended the opening night of the Greenock Burns Club and gave a short presentation about the campaign and a recitation of Caitlin Mc Nab’s award winning poem Gallus. Meanwhile Primary 4 pupils learned to recite a poem which we adapted from WD Cocker’s the Bogle and called Gallus Galoshans.
During the campaign classes also researched the origins of the word Galoshan and local folks were very helpful. The pupils learned about the connection with Mummers Plays and heard that there was a tie in with Galatia and what happened there. Primary 4 pupils are now setting their poem to music.
A challenge was then sent to every family in the school to send a poster to family and friends or to take it with them on the October week. When a call came saying one was in America and another picture appeared of our ‘Gallus Galoshans’ poem out in the desert the pupils were amazed!
We have many more campaigns planned to continue this initiative, Inverclyde is a very innovative authority and we already have a splendid pack ‘When we find the Gowd’ which we use. We are also ‘nurturing our heritage’, the children have made little kists at home and they enjoy filling them with Scots words that we come across each day. We do not realise how many of the words that we use daily are Scottish.
Our Scots Christmas card is now being dispatched and the 12 days of Yuletide will be ringing out in South West Greenock during the festive season. What fun we have had finding out what puggies, bubbly-jocks, papingos and a bour tree are!
Thats all my blethers for just now…
Isabella Lind, Head teacher, Aileymill Primary
Aileymill Primary School’s website.
Interested in some festive Scots and Gaelic? Check out the Engage Christmas advent.
2 comments
Loved visiting the school and the card is fantastic. keep in touch.
Elaine from Scottish Language Dictionaries.
Thanks for contributing to Engage, Elaine.
Apologies for the delay approving this and several other recent comments, we were recently hit by a spambot so have had huge volumes of comments to review to avoid deleting genuine discussion.