Schooldays are the happiest days of your life.

Primary school, on the whole, was fine. Secondary school was a freaking jungle - at best.

Night and day difference. Primary school was largely about nurturing you, my 'grammar' school was about breaking you, making you into a conformist twat.

I sincerely hope schools are not like that anymore. I suspect they have a whole new range of issues instead.
 
Eccles Blue said:
You know as a retired teacher this thread really upsets me. I just hope that the children I taught are not as disillusioned as most of you appear to be.
I know I was 'only Primary' as they used to say but I did start before the National Curriculum was brought in so could be more choosy with what I taught not rigidly stick to the NC.
For example there was the day one of my pupils found an injured pigeon on his way to school and carried it carefully into the classroom where we found a box for it, rang the RSPB who promised to collect it but said it would be afternoon.
So the planned lessons were scrapped and we explored everything we could find about birds. Comparing weights/sizes/for maths. Going into the class and school library for any books on birds to find where the different types came from for Geography. Writing about the journey Swallows and Canada Geese took to get over here English/Literature. Drawing the pigeon and other birds. You get the idea.
Of course that didn't happen every day but our school tried to teach the whole child and related to the differences (subtly) trying to maximise the potential of each child. I had a boy one year who struggled with his reading but boy oh boy did he have green fingers. He brought back to life some of my failing plants (I always had plants in the classroom) and he used to tell me about helping out at the local stables at weekend. This was a 10 yr old and many years later I saw his Mum in a supermarket and she told me he was working with horses and doing very well.
Not every child is what the powers that be feel they should be and interested in 'academia'. Hence the need to educate the whole child.

Sorry to go on but I sincerely hope that the majority of children I was lucky enough to teach didn't go away feeling like some of you do. :-) JMHO


EDIT: I'm not trying to say I was a perfect teacher or we were a perfect school but we tried our best. I loved teaching and even though there were days when I wanted to pack it all in the good days far outweighed them. Maybe it was because I had had my own children before I became a teacher, also because I was the eldest of 10 and had been surrounded by children all my life!! *lol*
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Thank you for putting some balance into this thread. None of the teachers at either my primary or secondary school were anything like some of the nutters described here. Teachers at the grammar school I went to (not posh) believed in the school's motto "Cognoscere Est VIncere" (To Know Is To Conquer, for them what didn't do Latin.) What those teachers gave me has stayed with me my whole life and without them I'd probably have gone down the mines like my dad.
 
AliBobbyJ said:
Thank you for putting some balance into this thread. None of the teachers at either my primary or secondary school were anything like some of the nutters described here. Teachers at the grammar school I went to (not posh) believed in the school's motto "Cognoscere Est VIncere" (To Know Is To Conquer, for them what didn't do Latin.) What those teachers gave me has stayed with me my whole life and without them I'd probably have gone down the mines like my dad.
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Grammar school not posh?
 
AliBobbyJ said:
OK it was - Perseverance Overcoming Social Hardship.
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Grammar school was not an option for most of us in Gorton. We were given what was on offer like it or lump it.

Factory fodder we were. (some did well though but they invariably had good parents)

Twat of a two tier education system.
 
Was going to reminisce about the extra curriculum activities myself and Adele Symmons used to get up to at the back of our science lab but my favourite poster @Eccles Blue is knocking about so will give it a swerve..

It’s one for the plus column though :-)
 
Phil1 said:
Was going to reminisce about the extra curriculum activities myself and Adele Symmons used to get up to at the back of our science lab but my favourite poster @Eccles Blue is knocking about so will give it a swerve..

It’s one for the plus column though :-)
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oh go on....she won't mind.

Woman of the world is our Eccles.
 
knuckles said:
I also learnt a massive amount more after joining the army, miles more than I ever learnt at school!
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Yep same in RAF, most of it about how people brown nose their way to the top and how you have to play the game to get on (I never did) but loved it looking back. Discipline is what is lacking these days, I’m not advocating corporal punishment there were some vindictive teachers back then, but it seems respect etc has gone out the way of the rags title chances nowadays. I was bullied at school but back then it was just get on with it, like someone said now there is no escape with social media, doesn’t surprise me kids commit suicide :(
I had two great teachers who I did my A levels with and will always remember them, the rest were just shite, certainly in the 80s it was just a case of getting* through it and going on the dole or joining up. Certainly not the best days of my life but I had nit hung to worry about, we had 3 melas a day and a roof over my head, god bless my mum and dad for that.
 
Eccles Blue said:
You know as a retired teacher this thread really upsets me. I just hope that the children I taught are not as disillusioned as most of you appear to be.
I know I was 'only Primary' as they used to say but I did start before the National Curriculum was brought in so could be more choosy with what I taught not rigidly stick to the NC.
For example there was the day one of my pupils found an injured pigeon on his way to school and carried it carefully into the classroom where we found a box for it, rang the RSPB who promised to collect it but said it would be afternoon.
So the planned lessons were scrapped and we explored everything we could find about birds. Comparing weights/sizes/for maths. Going into the class and school library for any books on birds to find where the different types came from for Geography. Writing about the journey Swallows and Canada Geese took to get over here English/Literature. Drawing the pigeon and other birds. You get the idea.
Of course that didn't happen every day but our school tried to teach the whole child and related to the differences (subtly) trying to maximise the potential of each child. I had a boy one year who struggled with his reading but boy oh boy did he have green fingers. He brought back to life some of my failing plants (I always had plants in the classroom) and he used to tell me about helping out at the local stables at weekend. This was a 10 yr old and many years later I saw his Mum in a supermarket and she told me he was working with horses and doing very well.
Not every child is what the powers that be feel they should be and interested in 'academia'. Hence the need to educate the whole child.

Sorry to go on but I sincerely hope that the majority of children I was lucky enough to teach didn't go away feeling like some of you do. :-) JMHO


EDIT: I'm not trying to say I was a perfect teacher or we were a perfect school but we tried our best. I loved teaching and even though there were days when I wanted to pack it all in the good days far outweighed them. Maybe it was because I had had my own children before I became a teacher, also because I was the eldest of 10 and had been surrounded by children all my life!! *lol*
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Eccles, I have no doubt you were a great teacher,you seem like a really really decent person..I would say 90% of my teachers inspired me..10% perhaps weird but different times in the 70s..but I could tell you a tale of a prominent headmaster who grooms individuals even now..happened to my son..have thought about reporting this individual..still does it..and it is such a clever way that he does it.Even befriended my ex wife and it became an issue in our marriage,but he is Gay. So school, church are not always the best of places unless you can stand up for yourself. I could.
 
hammocity said:
Happiest day of my life when I left school (Hartshead in Ashton) in 1975. Absolutely detested it, the Teachers were generally a set of twats apart from Mr Stanley, Mr Cousil and Mr Parker. I was accused of trying to burn the school down (long story) and my best mate was compared to a member of the IRA.

One of our teachers was a paedophile, Alan Turner, Google him as “Ten Bob Turner” but we all knew him as “Bummer Turner” as did all the Teachers who never reported him, he finally got prosecuted 20 years ago.

Another teacher called Milner was also shagging one of my female classmates whilst she was in the fifth year, came out officially when she was 16 but we all knew it had been going on well before her birthday.

Set of absolute fucking wankers, i rebelled and was “invited” to see a Psychologist, I told him to fuck off in no uncertain terms.

After School I went to Tameside College then Manchester College on Aytoun Street doing Business Studies on day release, those 4 years were a complete joy, the Tutors were the antithesis of the wankers I encountered at School.
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We had a music teacher Called Turner at Cresent Rd ( Cresie Rd as it was known ) and he was known as Ten Bob Turner, sounds like the same bloke.
 
Bigg Bigg Blue said:
We had a music teacher Called Turner at Cresent Rd ( Cresie Rd as it was known ) and he was known as Ten Bob Turner, sounds like the same bloke.
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Most probably, I know Crescent Road, used to go in the Lamb pub now and again back in the day, where was the school?

As an aside, an old sadly departed mate of mine organised a Sunday afternoon do upstairs at the Lamb. It was Strippers and Potato Pie for £2.50. We got the tickets and it said on it:

Lamb Inn
Ash and Gash for £2.50 cash.
 
hammocity said:
Most probably, I know Crescent Road, used to go in the Lamb pub now and again back in the day, where was the school?

As an aside, an old sadly departed mate of mine organised a Sunday afternoon do upstairs at the Lamb. It was Strippers and Potato Pie for £2.50. We got the tickets and it said on it:

Lamb Inn
Ash and Gash for £2.50 cash.
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Lamb did a lovely pint of Boddies.

Used to pop in for one after visiting my Gran on Park Rd.
 
blue b4 the moon said:
Lamb did a lovely pint of Boddies.

Used to pop in for one after visiting my Gran on Park Rd.
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Blimey, my Mum worked in an Office right next to the Park Pub for over 30 years, I also dated a girl who lived on Park Road. You’re right, the hand pulled Boddies was a cracking pint, same as the Little Astley and the Wellington in Stalybridge. We run our unofficial supporters club from the Astley now, good beer at cheaply prices, couple who run it, Andy and Cheryl are big Blues.
 
Attended an all boys secondary modern school in the seventies. Violence was run of the mill and the standard of teaching poor. We felt like failures throughout, and it was made clear to us in our last year that we had no hope of obtaining worthwhile jobs as they would all go to the Grammar school boys. We were given leaflets for potential jobs including petrol pump attendant, lorry drivers mate and shepherd.
 
Dial M 4 Mercer said:
Attended an all boys secondary modern school in the seventies. Violence was run of the mill and the standard of teaching poor. We felt like failures throughout, and it was made clear to us in our last year that we had no hope of obtaining worthwhile jobs as they would all go to the Grammar school boys. We were given leaflets for potential jobs including petrol pump attendant, lorry drivers mate and shepherd.
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Shepherd sounds brilliant.
 
I fuckin' hated secondary school, half of the male teachers were paedophiles and most of them were bullies. I got caned on the hand and pumped on the arse most weeks, mainly with a rubber sole from a shoe/trainer. I remember my maths teacher catching me talking in class and he hurled the blackboard chalk eraser at me which cut my eyebrow, much to the amusement of the lads in class.

That was the physical bullying but there was also mental bullying, something i endured a lot, especially from one teacher in particular who hated me. I was good at Geography and it was probably my favourite subject. My teacher said i was a failure and would always be a failure, said I'd leave school and be unemployed, or get a job on the bins if i was lucky, the horrible nasty ****.

I thought I'll show you who's a failure (or not) and next exam i got 96%. The teacher called out the results from lowest to highest and each lad left the classroom when hearing what they scored. I was the last left and the teacher said something sarcastic in a condescending manner. "Tried my best sir, see"... He just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. No congratulations, no pat on the back, nothing, just a cold hard stare of hate. That was end of 3rd year. I gave up after that and wagged some of the 4th year and more of the 5th year, i was a failure after all. I went down town mostly and educated myself with my mate, at least we had fun.

There were 6 classes in my year, A to F. I started in B, in first year, end of term i was demoted to C, year after i went down to D. I had potential to be deemed intelligent and prosper but i was a council house kid and there was a large element of snobbery amongst my teachers so i didn't stand much chance really.

I wanted to be in the brass band when iwas in C class in year 2 but they only allowed those to join from A and B.

I was forced to take 2 CSEs which a did, English and Geography which i made sure i failed with distinction!

Thinking back to when i was there, my school, West Hill High was like a cross between Oliver Twist and the film Scum. And those cruel heartless teachers were scum alright!
 
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