ST JAMES GIRLS
Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:20 pm
Reading this site has brought back so many (bad) memories of my time at St James girls school, and so much of what I thought was long in the past actually still affects me today. I can relate to so much of what others have posted of their experiences and had endless sleepless nights. There is so much to say - but where to begin.
In my experience the control exerted was predominantly through psychological tactics rather than physical abuse in the girls school. That said I will never forget an incident in PE in the delightful St Augustus church hall. At about 7-8year olds Mr Southwell was inflicting his usual regime of physical 'education'. Screaming his favourite catch phrase "Which are you Deaf, Dumb or just Damned Disobedient" over and over as we failed to complete 30 star jumps in perfect unison and total silence (all 25 of us) for the 10th time, he hauled up one girl who was particularly struggling. She was the smallest in the class and from how hard she found things generally was probably dyslexic / dyspraxic and in school today would get extra tuition and support - but in St Js she was an easy target. So hauled to the front of the class, Mr S sat on the steps of the stage, put her hand flat on the step and brought his foot down on it hard - his leg was in a plaster cast so it must have been heavy and hurt like hell. I have no memory of the aftermath.
I also remember feeling even at that young age, how inappropriate it was that girls were singled out by him for wearing non-regulation knickers!! ie. big blue pants - sorry should you be looking!?! and if you wore a vest under your airtex top he'd make you take it off at the side of the class - oh the memories of the embarrassment.
The more preferred, less obvious tactic was one of humiliation, undermining and constant pressure. Another favourite of mine was Mr Skinner - music - the one chance maybe of a bit of expression, enjoyment, life that could have been injected into that bleak school experience - no chance. The endless classes singing 'aaaaa', being shouted at to open your mouth wider, forced entry into the class singing competition. How he enjoyed boosting his small little ego by forcing those that couldnt sing to stand up in front of the class and sing. I can sing (not very well), but at the time I had so little confidence and was so scared my voice would shake - and that little glint of pleasure would shine in his eye.
His other little rule was that to sing properly your mouth had to be wide enough to fit 3 fingers in (where did they get that cr*p), unfortunately to for me having a small jaw, that meant opening my mouth, clicking my jaw to the side and stretching it again!!! needless to say I couldnt sing like this, it was painful and I worried my jaw would get stuck! I remember whole lessons spent singing 'aa' with our mouths open the correct amount, and once when I still could'nt do it (or wouldn't as he said) after constantly being picked on I was sent to the loo to spend the rest of the lesson looking in the mirror until I learnt how to open my mouth.
And did that man really have to keep picking his nose...
There are so many examples of the hours of pointless wasted time when as children we should have been learning, exploring, enjoying and developing. Even from 4 we spent hours in blank uninspired classroom practising putting up our calligraphy boards and down and up and down in mind numbing repetition till we could all do it in silence, and then handing out the ink rags, ink wells, the ink, calligraphy pens - all that so we could..... wait for it..... practise drawing a few straight lines. Then oh - lesson over, now lets put it all away - in silence. God how they loved silence, no talking on the stairs, silence in classroom, they even managed to have no playground in the junior school, so no chance of getting a few lung fulls of air and letting off steam like every other school in the country. Afterall chatting can be dangerous, that idle chitter chatter ... and well its hard to control the content so best try to ban it as much as possible...
There is so much to say and so much emotion tied up in those experiences, sorry its a bit long winded but so was 14 years at st james.
In my experience the control exerted was predominantly through psychological tactics rather than physical abuse in the girls school. That said I will never forget an incident in PE in the delightful St Augustus church hall. At about 7-8year olds Mr Southwell was inflicting his usual regime of physical 'education'. Screaming his favourite catch phrase "Which are you Deaf, Dumb or just Damned Disobedient" over and over as we failed to complete 30 star jumps in perfect unison and total silence (all 25 of us) for the 10th time, he hauled up one girl who was particularly struggling. She was the smallest in the class and from how hard she found things generally was probably dyslexic / dyspraxic and in school today would get extra tuition and support - but in St Js she was an easy target. So hauled to the front of the class, Mr S sat on the steps of the stage, put her hand flat on the step and brought his foot down on it hard - his leg was in a plaster cast so it must have been heavy and hurt like hell. I have no memory of the aftermath.
I also remember feeling even at that young age, how inappropriate it was that girls were singled out by him for wearing non-regulation knickers!! ie. big blue pants - sorry should you be looking!?! and if you wore a vest under your airtex top he'd make you take it off at the side of the class - oh the memories of the embarrassment.
The more preferred, less obvious tactic was one of humiliation, undermining and constant pressure. Another favourite of mine was Mr Skinner - music - the one chance maybe of a bit of expression, enjoyment, life that could have been injected into that bleak school experience - no chance. The endless classes singing 'aaaaa', being shouted at to open your mouth wider, forced entry into the class singing competition. How he enjoyed boosting his small little ego by forcing those that couldnt sing to stand up in front of the class and sing. I can sing (not very well), but at the time I had so little confidence and was so scared my voice would shake - and that little glint of pleasure would shine in his eye.
His other little rule was that to sing properly your mouth had to be wide enough to fit 3 fingers in (where did they get that cr*p), unfortunately to for me having a small jaw, that meant opening my mouth, clicking my jaw to the side and stretching it again!!! needless to say I couldnt sing like this, it was painful and I worried my jaw would get stuck! I remember whole lessons spent singing 'aa' with our mouths open the correct amount, and once when I still could'nt do it (or wouldn't as he said) after constantly being picked on I was sent to the loo to spend the rest of the lesson looking in the mirror until I learnt how to open my mouth.
And did that man really have to keep picking his nose...
There are so many examples of the hours of pointless wasted time when as children we should have been learning, exploring, enjoying and developing. Even from 4 we spent hours in blank uninspired classroom practising putting up our calligraphy boards and down and up and down in mind numbing repetition till we could all do it in silence, and then handing out the ink rags, ink wells, the ink, calligraphy pens - all that so we could..... wait for it..... practise drawing a few straight lines. Then oh - lesson over, now lets put it all away - in silence. God how they loved silence, no talking on the stairs, silence in classroom, they even managed to have no playground in the junior school, so no chance of getting a few lung fulls of air and letting off steam like every other school in the country. Afterall chatting can be dangerous, that idle chitter chatter ... and well its hard to control the content so best try to ban it as much as possible...
There is so much to say and so much emotion tied up in those experiences, sorry its a bit long winded but so was 14 years at st james.
!!!
