You were educated?

[John Arton]

Went to Ings village school, max. number of pupils was around 20 and only one teacher. One lad went down with appendicitis in the middle of the school day and the teacher had to bundle him into her Wolsey car and take him to hospital, so got a day off.
Passed 11 plus, don't know I did that, and went to Windermere Grammar School (single sex) where basically learnt to run faster than the bullies plus that the maths teacher had a fantastic aim with the blackboard eraser, the r.e. teacher used his swagger stick to discipline you, cold showers were no good for washing off the mud from rugby games.
After 3 years there moved to a brand new school, Lakes Secondary, that was an amalgamation of three schools including GIRLS, so that was basically the reason why I only managed to scrape 4 O levels.
Then off to sea for a proper education.
rgds
JA

[gray_marian]

By the time I was sixeen could not get out of school fast enough, taught by nuns, need I say more.........

[John Gill]

I attended the same school for my entire education, Roscoe Garsfield in Liverpool (ironically it is a home for the elderly now) from the age of three 'til fifteen. After leaving the infant and junior section of the school i arrived (at eleven) into the seniors, single sex seperated from the girls by a 6ft fence. they were not the happiest days of my life. Most of the teachers were there merely to beat education into you. I became a bit of a rebel and was beaten regularly. Woodwork teacher was as mad as a hatter, i was not very good at woodwork and i was often cracked over the head with some of my artistic attempts and directed to 'plane it to nothing Gill.'I was forever in the headmasters study being caned for misdemeaners, both on the hand and the behind. ( bend over boy- this is going to hurt me more than hurt you) Oh yeah!! On leaving day there was always a presentation ceremony when those about to depart were given their references which was a history of your 4 years of schooling.Upon opening mine i read it and immediately ripped it up in front of the headmaster. It was a damning report. half lies and mistakes and presented to any prospective employer would only have resulted in my being shown the door. The headmaster then gave a little speech and then predicted that i would hang before i was 21. Somehow this didn't shock me and fortunately capital punishment was repealed shortly after- but i was sweating for a time. As to job prospects, employers were queueing up to engage school leavers at that time, mainly as cannon fodder after the decimation of the workforce during the War. Worked shoreside for a year then straight down to Canning Place.

[gray_marian]

#23, Never had you down as a 'rebel' John.......like that! Hope the headmaster got his comeuppance

[John Gill]

Actually Marian, shortly after i left school i heard he'd succumbed to a brain haemorrhage.

[gray_marian]

#25, John, What goes round comes round. Cannot abide bullies in authority at any age in life.

[Jim Brady]

I went to a Catholic school the headmistress being a nun infants and juniors we had our share of religeon but i cant say that it was knocked into us anymore than the times table's so much so I can recite my times tables now but I have forgotten the R.E that we were tought.As regards the nuns being tough they certainly were but only for the right reasons.I remember when I was about 11 a new teacher started, a girl straight from Uni I think.Anyway she was teaching us art and as she was drawing on the black board a number of lads had caterpults made of elastic bands and paper slugs and were hitting her on the back of the head with the slugs.She turned around a few times and said stop that and she was just laughed at,eventually she cracked up and ran out of the classroom crying.She returned with Sister Ignatius,the nun carrying her big black bamboo cane.She asked no questions as to who the culprits were.The whole class had to stand in line right around the class, 40 kids.All hands given 6 of the best nobody escaped even the innocent.Imagine that 40x6=240 and then add on all the one's where the hand was pulled away and the nun did'nt stop for a blow and did'nt flinch.How dare you take advantage of a young teacher she was shouting.Did we deserve it? of course we did.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[gray_marian]

#27, ' Nobody escaped even the innocent' I don't agree with that attitude Jim. I am of course aware there is an age gap between us, but unfortunatly this was still happening in the 70's. The whole class were punished because a few misbehaved. When on the third occasion [different years] it happened again, I spoke up. My knees shaking and with a very red face I even apologised but refused point blank to six of the best. I thought she would blow a gaskit, to be fair she thought for a moment then asked the guilty to step forward, thank goodness they did. I was always a goody two shoes at school and at home because my Mother's wrath would have matched Sister John's in equal measure Always had a silent admiration for the one or two who would yank the belt from the Sister's hand and run like hell, pun intended.

[Lou Barron]

I was the same as Louis post 2 did get the cane a few times one tim was a mate of mine and myself put a dead eel down a girls back there was hell to pay

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi Shipmates, As you can tell , I did not have much education at sea age 13yrs , I learned most from the school of hard knocks and the hard-way...

u my friend for so many of our ear this was the very best way to learn