Was it really the good old days at school? What was your worst teacher / school experience....

[Mosaic]

Following on from Prudie's post about pointless lessons, it seems worth giving this one an airing.
I'll open with the milk incident, some 51 years ago. My reception class teacher (a frozen old Miss) stopped the entire playground with The Whistle, yelled at me in my face and dragged me back into the classroom to force me to drink the lukewarm stinky milk I had not drunk.
Nobody had asked me if I wanted it - I never drank milk at home - and she brought in another teacher (her sister actually) to make nasty remarks about me while I was drinking.
well not drinking - it was coming out as quickly as it went in - so they gave up and the only consolation I have half a century later is that they would have to sort out the regurgitated milk in their breaktime.

You can knock school nowadays -but imagine the consequences if it they tried it now!

over to you!

[tonyav]

Totally agree with that statement Mosaic.

[Mosaic]

Sqad - no they aren't.
Being able to grasp opportunity starts at home with your nurture. Brain development starts in the womb and accelerates apace after birth. Kids disadvantaged in the first five years will probably never rise to your most excellent heights. Some do, the vast minority.
Not all schools are equal. Not all teaching is equal. I would like you to come along and walk a mile in the shoes of many of the kids I've taught, and their kids.
No, you are quite wrong.

[rowanwitch]

Not under the guidance of the educationalists in the late 1960s and early 70s... I was given a serious earbashing from my sixth form tutor when I passed biology A level... as it was unfair that I had passed and Sofia and Helen had failed after working so hard... I wanted to do English literature and history... no because its better to do something where you are weak so you become a more rounded individual......

I wanted to go to grammar school ...it went against my families political beliefs Was offered full scholarship places at three. ... not for people like us apparently

[Mosaic]

Sqad - the great meritocracy of comprehensive education failed. You can read reams on why, but it failed. It was a good idea, badly implemeted and used as a political bandwagon - and education has been such ever since.

[rowanwitch]

No support I was the elder of two girls, father was dead mum didn't get involved...couldn't even bring friends home... not that you make many if you are in with the swotty kids... Teachers concentrating on the less able kids we could do what we liked most of the time.... I hid in the library

[rowanwitch]

THe education Dept of the GLC wrecked a lot of lives back then

[Sqad]

Mosaic.......I came from a "disadvantaged home".....I went to a second rate Grammar School as the people who brought me up wouldn't let me go to the prestigious Grammar School that i chose as it was above "our station.".I had vouchers for my lunch and uniform and anybody in the 50's and 60's from whatever background was given the opportunity of a grammar school and University education......whatever social class they were from.

Then, for reasons best known to the academics, that all changed.....winners and losers were infra dig, not acceptable in modern society,,,,the presentation of comprehensive education ....and her we are today, exactly as you describe.

[Sqad]

Mosaic...sorry didnt see your post of 1600.

[Mosaic]

That's kind of the story Sqad but the details differ from place to place. Some grammar schools were rubbish - some sec modern schools were great. It was always reckoned you got a better deal being in top streams of a sec modern that bottom stream of a poor grammar school.

[Traci66]

I honestly can't say anything bad about my school days, I loved them. I had the same teacher all through junior school, his name was Mr Wiley, he was brilliant. I grew up in inner city Liverpool and there was a senior school that offered ten places a year on scholarships, one year our school won all ten places, I then went on to that school on a scholarship and spent seven years there, I came away with nine 'O' levels and four 'A'. I just loved learning, I still do and I think if you have a good teacher in the early years then education just falls into place for you.

[tonyav]

Rowan, it's a great pity that you didn't have an older brother.

[sophie_1003]

I did love school, my first first school was lovely (rubbish on educational standards though!) then first teacher in middle school was really nice then it went down hill until around year 9 when it got much better; so much so that stayed in education of one form or another until last June and am now a teacher!

[douglas9401]

A primary 6 teacher, one Mr Darling, who never had a kind thought or a good word for anyone rubbished a poem I wrote about Vikings (one of our topics for that year) saying that I must have copied it from somewhere as there was no way someone of my age could could come up with anything like that.
It was published in a volume for Scottish schools despite his "expert" opinion but it left a scar and a sour taste.
Other that I had a pretty good time.

[tonyav]

I had a pretty good time at secondary school, apart from the occasional canings for various misdemeanors that is, also several teachers said '' You will end up in jail my Lad '' never happened though, nice when you can prove them wrong.

[emmie]

age five, being slapped on the legs in front of the whole assembly, i have never forgotten it, nor thought it was right, even now it makes me feel angry. I was probably uncomfortable and moving about, or needing the loo, but the humiliation was horrible

[karenmac60]

I had a really scary home economics teacher who nobody liked and everyone was terrified of. She's now my sister in law.....

[Mosaic]

Our home economics teacher had primitive contact lenses - the sort that covered half your eyeball - and a neck full of deep navy-blue scars - very scarey. Never worked out whether it was cosmetic surgery gone bad, or the handiwork of a crazed attacker.