Medieval Day

You are constantly on display. Despite what you may think, that you are at a celebration where you will dance and enjoy yourself, you are actually being tested. You kneel reverence to the Baroness, holding it for as long as you can to prove your worth. If you fall, you may end up with no job and hardly any food to feed your 12 children. It is now Winter in the Middle Ages. Your houses smell awful as you, your children, your wife and your animals are all cooped up together. You live in a small hut, only 7 metres long, and it is made of manure, sticks and straw. This is your chance. This is your opportunity. Prove yourself- or pay the price of being even more of an outcast.

Your wife is arrested. She is burnt at the stake as she was proven a witch. Your whole family is now starving, so you steal some bread. You are now fingerless and have been shamed. No other villagers talk to you. This is your life.

Life in the Middle Ages wasn’t anywhere near as easy as it is today. One mistake could lead to a hard life for you and your family. It’s learning facts like these at a Medieval Day that makes all of us grateful to live a 21^st Century life.

On the 24^th of May, all Year 8 students at Toorak College participated in “Medieval Day”. On this day it was as if all of the students had gone back in time, as we learnt about disparate aspects of life in the Middle Ages.

We were involved in four different activities: medieval dance, armour and weaponry, crime and punishment and tournament. Throughout these activities we were actively involved in our learning and had the opportunity to learn through doing rather than just sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher or reading a textbook. I think it was a really well planned and enjoyable day, and I’d much rather experience my learning than just read a textbook. If only we could do days like this more often!

Until you read again,

Jo xx