Your school days

Aerolor suggested I start this thread.

School is a doddle these days to what it was when I first started in 1954, aged four. My elementary school took kids 4-14, the school day was 9am-4pm The regime was brutal, and beatings with a stick, not a cane, were frequent and without mercy. The head teacher beat one kid unconscious, but got away with it because the child came from a family considered of no account. One particular family of children smelled awful as they were unwashed, we were made to sit next to them as a punishment. We used slates to write on, these were roofing slates! There were no schools for children with learning difficulties in those far off days, they were just kept in the baby class until they left school at 14, too severe and they didn't attend school at all. Sitting next to a 14 year old as a 4 years old is quite frightening! I was badly bullied at school by other kids as I was better dressed and had a better standard of living than many of them. In those days bullying was part and parcel of school life, and I didn't get a sympathetic hearing from my father in particular, just hit them harder than they hit you was the advice!

I moved onto a girl's fee paying school at 11, one of the Ladies Colleges. The staff there would have been out of place in Harry Potter's Hogwarts. The Latin Master thought he was the ghost of prophet, I kid you not! I was pleased to leave school at 17, then I moved to the UK when I married in two years later.


My grandchildren are fortunate to attend lovely schools!

How was school for you?

Re: Your school days

I went to a wonderful primary school and it`s still there.

Mrs Johnson(the head) would not be considered `ideal` these days as she did favour her children likely to pass the 11+

`Big school` was a nightmare on the first day-this bloke yelling and ranting in assembly. I cried myself to sleep that night.

But one got used to it.

I was an OK pupil but with hindsight could have done better-well with more supportive parents and a room that at least had a table and chair.

We had the cane but only fools actually got caught, when I left I belonged to a special club-had been seen to break about every school rule and never been caned .

And some(a very few it`s true) could actually teach rather than yelling at any boy who was not destined for Oxford or if they were second class Cambridge.

I went to Leeds via clearing

Re: Your school days

Detested school - primary school teacher was a nightmare and would slap our faces - she made the mistake of slapping mine and my Mum went along and dragged her out the classroom - much to the amusement of the class who all cheered! Mum was stopped from doing her damage but I did get an apology!!

Senior high school wasn't too bad but was glad to leave!

Re: Your school days

I attended public school for the first three grades, was bored as it wasn't challenging so my parents enrolled me in a small Catholic elementary school. Loved it! The nuns were strict but fair, no physical punishment, but shaming, which was worse in a way. If you misbehaved you were sent to sit with the first grade class, as you were acting as bad as a baby. That worked!!

On to Catholic high school which as a nerdy bookworm, I loved too; very small class: our year had 32 students. Mostly good teachers, a few pills, one or two super ones who really challenged you. May I brag a bit: made the Honor Roll every year.

Small Catholic college too. An excellent education but somehow I didn't feel as happy as in high school.

Then out to the real world ......