This entry from the Coelbren school diary of 1895 gives some idea of the problems which some teachers had when they joined Welsh schools in Victorian times.
Some teachers could only speak English and many children could only speak Welsh !

This entry reads:
"I am obliged to give up the idea of teaching my infants Object lessons, being that they do not understand any English, therefore they do not know what I am saying when I speak to them. I shall try a little later on".

It always helps at school if the children know what the teacher is saying, don't you think ?
'Object lessons' were given in all Victorian schools, and teachers had lists of approved 'objects' to talk about. There is an example of this on the next page...

Lions, gooseberries and railway stations...