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I could do the most beautiful handwriting after one or two years in school, whole words in a continuous line. Soon I switched to block letters, faster, more economic. For the last 25 years typewriters or computers, and I feel insecure when I have to sign something, or to fill in a visa form. More than 35 years on, I still remember the names of my classmates, and teachers. It was a good time at the Yuri Gagarin High School.
Apart from learning to read and write,the rest was a waste of time. Out in the real world,life skills needed,are not taught at school. Banking,accountancy,insurance and acquiring a property portfolio.
The only thing I learned at school was that I hated it.
French? Why the hell did I want to learn French for when everyone at the time was going to Spain for their holidays? I spent most of the lessons looking out 'la fenetre'.
Geography? Learning about the Murray Basin in Australia and it's crops and about marino sheep were of no use to me. Nor were the music lessons and having to count how many "Duh Duh Duh Duhhhhhs" there were in Beethoven's 5th symphony. Just because our half-caste music teacher that we called 'Nigerace' liked classical music shouldn't have meant that I should learn about it too. A debate on the best pop group at the time, T.Rex or Slade, would've been much more interesting.
And as for Metalwork, for 4 years I only ever remember constantly filing a large plate of metal down to a small plate of metal using a 'bastard' file that had been worn down smooth over the years. I just can't for the life of me remember what the hell I made in Woodwork or Pottery classes.
My mate used to write sick notes for me in the style of my mum's hand-writing so I actually missed a lot of school. I used to get dropped off at the school gates then wait for my mum to drive down the road then I'd head for the Mersey ferry and ride back and forth for a few hours before going round the shops or sometimes I'd get in to see an X-movie that killed a few hours before heading home.
One time I bunked off school for a whole week instead of only 1-3 days and me and my mate couldn't think of a good excuse for being sick for a week. In the previous few months I'd already had so many colds, flus, toothaches etc. that we couldn't think of something new to write. We had decided to say in a note that I'd been on a family holiday to Butlin's holiday camp in Pwllheli, North Wales and had forgotten to hand in the note in advance to the Deputy Head. (But we later changed it to Blackpool because neither of us could spell 'Pwllheli'.) The note was to no avail anyway as my parents got paid a visit by a Truancy Officer and so the 'jig' eventually came to an end. Had to then get a teacher's signature on an attendance record after every friggin' class.
Funny though, as much as I hated school, on the last day I was kind of sad.
I probably knew at the time that I wouldn't be seeing most of my school mates ever again. I learned not long after leaving that 2 were killed on motorbikes and one whilst working for Eddie Kidd. All of them at the age of 17.
And....it was only after leaving school that I actually started to develop a thirst or yearning for wanting to learn stuff. But stuff THAT I wanted to learn about and not something that I had to. :confused:
One of the main reasons kids go to school is that it keeps them off of the streets and reduces idle time.Quote:
Originally Posted by wasabi
That said, one can learn a bit in different areas of academic if they want to.
Yeah, the real world life skills are really not taught in schools.
I remember being whacked on the arse with a plimsole so hard my head went through the book store cupboard by the blackboard ,, that was primary school .
I remember being caned 6 times on my right hand just before dinner ,, I was our table water monitor that week and as I poured the first glass out I dropped the jug cause my hand was numb , I was sent straight back into the heads office and recieved 3 swishes from his best cane on my left hand for making a mess on the table .
Couldnt wait to get out the institution and go to work , and TBH they were glad to see the back of me , it was a 2 way thing .
That's what I've found. I've learned more outside of school because of real interest in subjects,Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazza
Bloody hell! I'm so glad I didn't go to your school :(Quote:
Originally Posted by nigelandjan
I remember, from Primary school, that standing up to bullies led to black eyes, a rollicking from Teacher and disapproval from my Dad. After that, I kept quiet and hated every minute. By the time I made secondary school, I had discovered betrayal and revenge. I still hated most of it but discovered how to get my own back. Maths was never my strong point but my English skills got me out of situations that my fists could not manage.
555 ...certainly trig and geometry and math in general benefited although don't remember liking it.
hated history, loved biology cos we were all in love with Miss Burbage..remember a human baby and strange animals and body parts in huge jars of formaldehyde plus all sorts of interesting stuff. Miss never did teach us boys how to find a clitoris?
Science...loved playing with Bunsen burners, acid,sulfur,stealing mercury to play with in history class ..we even made plastic!
Learned a lot in shop but still cannot cut a straight line in a two by four.
My pots in art always ended up looking exactly like the lump of clay I started with a foot or so from the wheel.
Now have used trig etc for navigation ( had to learn it all over though).
Still love investigating applied biology and love history ....hey even know who the fk Cromwell was...always thought round heads was just about circumcision.
School: Don't run, put the stupid beany on straight, straighten your tie,polish your shoes, yada yada..our head had the neighbors in his pocket too..bastards would dob us in if we took off ties or beanies within a few hundred yards of the school!
I learned to play football (not soccer) in school which formed the basis of many bruises and friendships. Sports was my favorite subject.
My father was the best teacher in my early years!
Bullying 2.0
I learned how to wank,smoke,drink, play sport, chase fanny's, oh and how to read and write, just, :)
then at 18 i run to London all by my self, could not speak engrit at all, nor read:)
massive 14 year long story after that:)
Latin - amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant.... Two years of compulsory Latin now helps me to complete some crossword clues and understand some medical texts a bit better.
English - I don't know how many times I studied Hamlet, and then had to do it again in first year at university. Most of the time at school was spent listening to the war tales of the teacher.
Woodwork - had to make the obligatory pencil box. There must have been a few thousand of those in English schools. Never had any use for a pencil box and have never made another one.
French - complete waste of time, especially when we went to Paris to play rugby. Perhaps the French we learned at school was not Parisian French.
Maths and Science - don't remember as the English grammar school system at that time allowed students to drop subjects at a certain stage (after O levels, I think) and concentrate on in-depth studies in restricted areas in preparation for university
History - lots of analysis of the Tudors and Stuarts. The subject seemed to never make it into the 20 century
PE and sport - lots of cross-country runs and rugby in winter - loved it! This was what school was all about. Cricket in summer but not really interested so spent the summer months at school practising my goal-kicking. No round ball studies allowed as it was a rugby only school.
I loved school as it was an opportunity to get away from home!
bobforest
hardly remember anyone I was at school with - but things, hell yes.
English - dissecting out Macbeth, the war poets, wilfred owens, brave new world, 1984, learning the Jabberwocky (still remember some).
geography - formation of ox bow lakes, how tarns form, condensation cycle
history (one of my faves) hargreaves spinny Jenny, comptons spinning mule (sorry NR), the industrial revolution, the rebecca riots, Henry VIII (Divorced, beheaded, died; Divorced beheaded survived)...
Physics - strobe lights (awesome theory),
Chemistry - thermite reaction - my chem teacher blew a small hole in the ceiling!
Biology - field trips to rivers to pick out bugs, beetles and insects, dissecting formalin preserved rats - they were kept in a big tank and stunk!
Using a metal lathe - twang - Nidhogg! You useless oik!
All good stuff.
I remember reading Beowulf in Miss Middleton's 10th grade literature class. I still don't know what that was all about.
Also remember reading The Hobbit and The Jungle in that same class, but those books didn't do my head in like Beowulf did.
I still remember Miss Betsy, the art teacher...
I definitely learned a lot of things that are pretty much worthless towards helping me find a job, but I can say I know a bit about the world, language, and other odd tidbits and these give me some base for understanding the world. Not a waste but not really good for direction in life or adding value to yourself for the world of work.
All I learnt at school
Was how to bend not break the rules
Oh what fun we had
But at the time it seemed so bad
Trying different ways
To make a difference to the days.
Oh, and girls, I learned a lot about girls. :yumyum:
Madness-Baggy Trousers - YouTubeQuote:
Originally Posted by Neo
not only them, but those bloody violent christian brothers, lucky they were not kiddieQuote:
Originally Posted by daveboyMe too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Orrens
fiddlers,where i was, only violent bastards, a pox on the lot of them,
but at least i learnt to read and write.
also went to a christian brother school in n.queen st belfast
most were good teachers but step out of line and you ended up in the Top Room
where leather straps with lead through the middle greeted you.
Few made a second trip.
I was tops in french,maths and science and won a bronze medal in the 4 by 400 metres in casement park.
I learnt not to be left alone with Mr White, the music teacher
I learnt to be left alone with Miss Craig, the student French teacher
I learnt that even small rats in the Biology lab can bite fcuking hard
I also learn that the baby alligator in the Biology lab can run fcuking fast and can also bite harder than the rats
I learnt that doing fcuk all and being a lazy toe-rag at school results in the need to do a further 7 years of college study before you are employable
Simon