September 24th, 2016
Exploring a close pupil/teacher relationship.
By Jane Fairweather
“You may all be seated.” Miss Johnson proclaimed from the small stage at the front of the Hall, now the hymn was sung and the prayers said.
There was a rustle of skirts and gym slips as the younger girls of Corry Hall School sat down cross legged on the polished wood floor and the Five Uppers and Sixth Form sat down on the chairs that went with their seniority in the school. Mary Gulliver noticed that all three of her friends were shuffling much more on their bottoms than they would normally have done.
“There is a fair chance that we won’t get it at all and she will just blame Miss Black for getting us into it. We just have to stick to our version. And even if we do get the stick, which I doubt, she won’t be as hard on us as she would be on Mary by herself. If Mary admits what she really did, she will be really for it.” Sarah, or in full, Sarah Vane-Scott, the imperious, but very quiet daughter of a full colonel, had observed both on the previous afternoon and on several occasions since.
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September 20th, 2016
A girl has to change school where a different regime applies
By Gillian Howard
My name is Gaynor Travis and in 1967, when I was 17 years old, I had just started my upper 6th studies at a strict Catholic all girls grammar school. I had always been a model pupil, never having been in trouble, but I then was in a car driven by my boyfriend’s brother and it was involved in a traffic accident. I was in a coma for 7 weeks but was unfit to return to school till Easter.
I remembered nothing till I came to after the coma and was told what had happened. The driver of the other vehicle had suffered fatal injuries. About a week after I came around, I was moved out of intensive care and mum came to see me looking very upset. She told me that after the accident It was touch and go if I would survive and then on the third day they arrived to be told I had lost the baby I was expecting. I was in total shock as I did not know I was pregnant, or if I did could not remember it.
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September 18th, 2016
A headmistress tells about the time she used her cane on a girl.
By Julie Baker
My name is Sally Johnson and I was born in Sheffield in March 1957. I was schooled through the state system and I was head girl in my last year. I achieved three straight A grades in my A levels and won a place to study geography at Cambridge University. I enjoyed my time there and when I graduated I got a place on a teacher training course at Durham University. One year later and I was applying for teaching posts in a variety of state and private schools. I took a position in a small private all girls school in Leicestershire as a class room teacher. Within three years I was head of their geography department and by the time I was 29 I was appointed to be Deputy Head.
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September 17th, 2016
A typical school punishment that will bring back memories. By a new writer to us.
By Jenny
Jennifer Wilson did not enjoy Geography. She wasn’t interested in maps, why it rained or the cause of earthquakes. The main reason she didn’t like Mr Knight was that he taught Geography.
Mr Knight loved teaching, and Geography was his subject. He also liked working with children; their enthusiasm to explore their world amazed him. He knew, though, that a disruption would affect the class’s ability to learn. When he first started teaching he was determined not to be like the teachers he’d grown up with, turning to corporal punishment at the first hint of trouble. For sometime he tried talking through problems and using positive reinforcement to promote good behaviour. He was genuinely disappointed how quickly some kids had worn him down and how he’d learned that the quickest way to restore order was to reach for his slipper.
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September 2nd, 2016
Two girls punished at the hands of the Head Girl and the Headmaster
by PG
(A Sequel to New Headmaster)
“You, as the eldest and in the Upper Sixth, will be seen by the Headmaster.”
Helen Brown, as the new Head Girl, was dealing with the first serious incident of the year and had before her a seventeen year old and her older sister who was eighteen. Susan and Fiona Williams had chosen to take a day out of school without any kind of permission to attend a pop concert.
At Archdean Lodge House, a prestigious all girls school, all transgressions were dealt with by corporal punishment. The Prefecture was all-powerful and it was a tradition of the school that only serious offenders would be given the ultimate sanction of a caning from the Headmaster. Helen Brown, as Head Girl, was in her first few weeks of office and was pleased there had been very few incidents of rules being broken. So far the Prefecture had administered four Level One punishments which involved a dose of the slipper, which at Archdean was used in the place of detentions, always six strokes across a girl’s knickers whilst bent over a stool. In reality, the slipper was actually a small selection of plimsolls ranging from a size 5 girls shoe used on juniors to a size 9 mens shoe used on sixth formers, all of which certainly gave a painful experience. Nothing had yet merited a Level Two punishment which involved the cane from the Head Girl, again bent over the stool after their skirt had been removed. Truancy, however, was a different matter and there was no alternative but for these two sisters to be sentenced to the cane.
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August 14th, 2016
A mother visits a headmaster to discuss the caning he gave her daughter
By Hilary Wilmington
“Mrs Megginson? Please do come in.”
She walked in with an inclination of her head and a gracious smile, although she did not say anything in reply.
“And Mr Megginson? Is he not with you?”
“Oh no, I’m afraid he’s far too busy at his work to be able to join us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” replied the headmaster, insincerely. Dealing with one awkward parent was better than dealing with two and better still if that was the mother. He always felt more comfortable having dealings with the female of the species, which is possibly why he had ended up as headmaster of an all-girls boarding school. “I was just going from a note made by my secretary in my diary,” he explained. “She herself is unwell and hasn’t been in all week.”
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July 29th, 2016
Disgraceful conduct in class gets two girls up before their headmistress
By Kenny Walters
“Come in, Abigail.” Eleanor Witlow responded to the three gentle taps followed by her study door being pushed open just enough for the visitor to peer round the edge and be recognised.
“Sorry to bother you, headmistress.” Abigail Carter, a rather shy, rather nervous English and French teacher spoke quietly as she approached the large desk.
“It’s no bother, Abigail, no bother at all. How can I help?”
“Well, it’s all rather, well, embarrassing, actually.”
“Then you better sit down and tell me all about it. Cup of tea?”
“Oh, no thank you, headmistress.” Abigail said, nervously sliding herself onto one of two upright chairs placed in front of the desk.
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July 17th, 2016
A new headmaster is brought in to restore discipline
By Gillian Howard
My name is Joseph Mathews and I have just been appointed as the new headmaster of a mixed grammar school. I have been given a mandate by the board of governors to improve the academic achievements by any means that I think appropriate. The sporting achievements have been very good but the discipline has left room for improvement.
During the past 5 years, I have worked in both a girls Grammar school and also a boys Grammar school in positions of deputy Head. I am no stranger to dishing out corporal punishments and I am a great believer in the use of the cane for both boys and girls. I think also that most punishments should be carried out in class in front of their peers, as most misbehaviour is carried out in front of their peers. I also believe that an important part of any punishment is the fact that it is also embarrassing.
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July 16th, 2016
A new teacher gets a surprising introduction
by Roderick Bottoms
“Ms Holliday will be with you in a moment,” the young Ms Dollar said cheerfully, motioning Samantha toward a nice leather chair arranged in the seating area of the headmistress’s large, well-lit office. Samantha took a seat.
“Would you care for some coffee or water or something while you wait?” Ms Dollar asked.
“Some coffee would be great,” Samantha said. “Thank you.”
“Sure thing, back in a bit,” replied Ms Dollar as she backed out of the office and quietly closed the double doors.
For a moment, Samantha considered her choice of outfit, a slim fitting pantsuit over her lithe frame, and wondered if she had dressed too casually for her first day at the school. She looked around and took in the spacious, wood paneled office. She had conducted her interviews in other parts of the campus and this was the first time in the headmistress’s office. Off to her right was a large wooden desk. It was remarkably clutter free, with just a small leather bound book, a black quill pen, an antique looking lamp with a green shade, and photos of several people faced outward toward the room.
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July 13th, 2016
Initiation for a new girl means trouble when it all goes wrong
Jane Fairweather
Jenn was staggering along the gravel path and the rain was pouring. Water was getting into her shoes and her socks were soaked. Although she had brought a rain coat it was no protection at all and water was trickling down her neck and soaking through her shoulders into the light summer dress she had put on because she had been afraid her normal gym slip would get in the way of the awkward climbing she had to do. And her bra and even her cotton pants were beginning to feel damp. And her hair was unbelievably wet, for she had not brought a hat, thinking it was one more thing to carry and, anyway, a school hat would pick you out a mile off.
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