Favourite teacher

[Richard Ruck]

'Pinky' Palmer - English;

Yes, this bloke was a star.

Remember the flared suits and shades?

As a Mid B. house tutor, he sometimes used to wander down from his flat , glass of wine in hand, saying things like "I just thought I'd let you know I'm getting a bit pissed".

Did his Doctorate while he was at C.H. (thesis on Norman Mailer, as I remember), and had a very enviable collection of jazz LPs.

He got to write some books about jazz, including collaborating on the autobiography of Oscar Peterson (his absolute hero).

Some of his stuff seems to be on Amazon -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/sea ... 61-8162004

[Spoonbill]

Peter Wright - utterly brilliant teacher and the only maths teacher in recorded history who wasn't a total b*stard. By the time I fetched up in his maths class, I was in the bottom set and it was my O-Level year. I genuinely believed myself to be totally incapable of doing maths, having been rubbished for years by every teacher I ever had. But on Day One, Wright made this speech about how he knew that lots of kids who were useless at maths were nevertheless excellent at other subjects - and he said that if there was anything we didn't understand, we should just say so and he'd explain it again (and again and again and again) until we understood it, because if we weren't understanding, then he wasn't doing his job properly. By the end of the first term, I was scoring 89% on old O-Level papers. It was all a question of self-belief - and previously I'd been so humiliated and rubbished by maths teachers that I'd come to believe I was a moron. I'll always be grateful to Peter Wright. Hope he's still up and running. A diamond geezer.

[jtaylor]

if we weren't understanding, then he wasn't doing his job properly.

What a fantastic attitude - that's exactly the approach I've used when coaching GCSE maths. I wish more teachers took that approach, assuming of course that the kids are at least vaguely paying attention!

I suppose there is a downside - it does give the kid an excuse for failing, that the teacher is agreeing with!!

J

[Happy]

Fave teacher? Several candidates for that honour...
Roger Sutcliffe. I never had the pleasure of being taught by Mr Wright for maths but the same situation applied. I ended up in set 6 feeling like a moron and finished that year (UF) coming 3rd in the exams overall. He had his strange and totally evil moments but I respected his attitude in the classroom. He explained things in so many ways and never got frustrated with us. Thanks Roger.

Brian Cunningham is someone we reminisce about with solid reason. I can still hear him in my head when I switch to Russian, which I now know is an ability I will have for the rest of my life, gloriously, even when absolutely wasted or hung over the following morning at high altitude. But when I close my eyes, I see Craig Oliphant instead, which brings back memories of his little red LHD VW with german plates, piles of Krokodil and first lessons in Russian when I thought, 'heck, I am NEVER going to learn the alphabet...'.

Considering I have a degree in Russian and Arabic, they should be pleased they did a good job!

Outside the classroom, the Jeffers and Mr. Kemp get my vote.

[missg]

"I remember him making anyone who yawned run round the quad, and whenever we got to one of the more obscene bits of shakespeare, he'd open the classroom window and bellow it out at full volume."

I remember being the victim of this on more than 1 occasion. He also said something about writing in your own blood if you'd forgotten your pen/pencil............very scary indeed....

Did anyone else experience Mr Slater's slides of his holidays in France as a saturday morning "treat"??? We all agreed we'd rather have the french lesson....

[UserRemovedAccount]

After all these years I can remember one lesson and the teacher who gave it with total clarity. It was chemistry, we were sitting on those high stools and the teacher was "Pop" Bevan, a rather scruffy man with drooping moustaches, who always looked tired. For months we had been going through all those people like Avogadro and Lavoisier, and substances like phlogiston (don't ask me what that is), and everything was all a bl**dy great disorganised mish-mash and a complete mystery. And then, on this particular day, Bevan pulled a string on a "drop" and down fell the Periodic Table. He talked us through it and everything just fell into place. There was order and there was a logic behind it all. In the space of 30 minutes he changed the world for us. Magic.

[Alexandra Thrift]

I agree with Sabina ( Hi Sabina!) regarding Jean Taverner.She is a naturally shy person and yet somehow, unassumingly, got a beautiful sound out of us.My only claim to fame at Hertford was a leader of the choir for a brief period.I would have happily done " choir" for every lesson . I was thrilled when , before I left,she gave me a present to thank me. So kind...in a school that sometimes lacked kindness.

Another teacher I remember with gratitude was Miss Mercer. She taught several different subjects, but mostly history. She was marvellous at digressing from the topic we were supposed to be studying and every lesson was a journey into the unknown. She was also responsible for stocking the beautiful, many sided library at Hertford with outstanding books (and many a peaceful hour I spent there.)

I have never heard mention of her in any magazine or whatever since I left C.H. in 1972. Does anybody have any info? She was a truly inspirational teacher and one whom I'll never forget.

Miss Betterton, an old C.H. girl herself, was totally sweet and taught us to appreciate good poetry and literature without us even realising we were learning anything.......it was so palatable and unobtrusively presented.

[Euterpe13]

if we weren't understanding, then he wasn't doing his job properly.

What a fantastic attitude - that's exactly the approach I've used when coaching GCSE maths. I wish more teachers took that approach, assuming of course that the kids are at least vaguely paying attention!

I suppose there is a downside - it does give the kid an excuse for failing, that the teacher is agreeing with!!

J

with which the teacher is agreeing.

[sport!]

a 70s list .........
Bomber Nicholson - enthusiasm for literature and all round great guy
Andrew Husband - for his enthusiasm
Bob Hailey - for being such a good relaxed housemaster
GHD "Johnno" Johnson - great junior house tutor, firm but fair
Brian Cunningham - great 2nd XI manager!

[Euterpe13]

Miss Rutherford , not only for being a fine teacher, but also an inspirational woman,and person of integrity
Miss Taverner, who proved that far more is acheived through gentleness and love than brow-beating - we would all have cheerfully done " hard labour " to please her
Miss Jukes, who laid the basis for the great cook I now am ! My family's stomachs owe her a great deal...
Mrs. Betterton, who coupled a fine intellect with total and non-judgmental tolerance of others' opinions - a rare quality

and of course, Miss West whom I loathed and who loathed me in return - which can also be didactic...

[jhopgood]

After all these years I can remember one lesson and the teacher who gave it with total clarity. It was chemistry, we were sitting on those high stools and the teacher was "Pop" Bevan, a rather scruffy man with drooping moustaches, who always looked tired. For months we had been going through all those people like Avogadro and Lavoisier, and substances like phlogiston (don't ask me what that is), and everything was all a bl**dy great disorganised mish-mash and a complete mystery. And then, on this particular day, Bevan pulled a string on a "drop" and down fell the Periodic Table. He talked us through it and everything just fell into place. There was order and there was a logic behind it all. In the space of 30 minutes he changed the world for us. Magic.

Pop Bevan used to have the lab at the end of the building which meant you had to go through P... Matthews Lab to get there. I assume it was arranged that way so that Matthews could pop out for his once a period drag.
The story I remember about Bevan, who had a glass eye, was that he was fairly frugal. At nights, we would throw empty toothpaste tubes out of the lav end windows. This was in the days when toothpaste came in malleable metal tubes. Pop Bevan would collect these tubes, which he is reputed to have melted down and turned into a lens holder for one of his cameras.
Despite his glass eye, he also had something to do with the rifle club.

[Nyort]

I have to say one of the best has to be my Piano teacher, Miss Elsworthy. Such as nice lady.

Although, Mr Holdsworth is a good laugh too.

But then again, nobody would know my favourite teacher, the new Drama teacher, Mr Saunders, who is really a great teacher with a great personality (coupled with a penchant for novelty socks).

[englishangel]

I agree with Sabina ( Hi Sabina!) regarding Jean Taverner.She is a naturally shy person and yet somehow, unassumingly, got a beautiful sound out of us.My only claim to fame at Hertford was a leader of the choir for a brief period.I would have happily done " choir" for every lesson . I was thrilled when , before I left,she gave me a present to thank me. So kind...in a school that sometimes lacked kindness.

Another teacher I remember with gratitude was Miss Mercer. She taught several different subjects, but mostly history. She was marvellous at digressing from the topic we were supposed to be studying and every lesson was a journey into the unknown. She was also responsible for stocking the beautiful, many sided library at Hertford with outstanding books (and many a peaceful hour I spent there.)

I have never heard mention of her in any magazine or whatever since I left C.H. in 1972. Does anybody have any info? She was a truly inspirational teacher and one whom I'll never forget.

Miss Betterton, an old C.H. girl herself, was totally sweet and taught us to appreciate good poetry and literature without us even realising we were learning anything.......it was so palatable and unobtrusively presented.

Hi Alex,

The person I sat next to to take my entrance exam, and last saw at OB day at Horsham 1994

I found this in Friends Reunited/Christ's Hospital Horsham (I know you are on the hertford page)/Message boards/memories

" Still in touch with Miss Mercer - She & Mary Thompson (Chemi-T?)built a house together in Kerry 23 years ago! Unfortunately Mary passed away about three years ago but Frances Mercer is still going going strong! In fact she's still tutoring at home.

My Mum (Frances Haley 6s 56-62) visits on a regular basis and is sure Mercer would love to hear from anyone who remembers her. email me for an address - Mercer's still trying to get to grips with email!! (Find me in 1987)"

Posted in October 2001 so I don't know what has happened since.

[Alexandra Thrift]

Hi Mary,

I did spot your photo when I first posted here a few days ago!

Thanks for the info of four years ago. I will investigate. Sad to hear that Chemi.T. passed away. She was a character ! I'm sure half the explosions and dubious demonstrations she did for us in the lab. wouldn't be allowed these days on grounds of "Health and Safety"...how boring everything has become! She also used to ritually invite us to dip our hands into a bucket of mercury for chrissakes ! I remember asking her why electrons whizzed around the nucleus of a cell ?......her very Irish reply " ..because God made them that way!"

Hope all's going well for you....Eternalangel...eh?Your twins must be all grown up! Yes, I remember that stifling late spring day at Tower Hill when we sat next to each other for the exam! DR West rather cleverly, interviewed us one by one , as we walked to visit The Tower and along the embankment. Boiling hot,it was. 1965.

Warmest wishes, Alexandra.

[englishangel]

Hi Mary,

I did spot your photo when I first posted here a few days ago!

Thanks for the info of four years ago. I will investigate. Sad to hear that Chemi.T. passed away. She was a character ! I'm sure half the explosions and dubious demonstrations she did for us in the lab. wouldn't be allowed these days on grounds of "Health and Safety"...how boring everything has become! She also used to ritually invite us to dip our hands into a bucket of mercury for chrissakes ! I remember asking her why electrons whizzed around the nucleus of a cell ?......her very Irish reply " ..because God made them that way!"

Hope all's going well for you....Eternalangel...eh?Your twins must be all grown up! Yes, I remember that stifling late spring day at Tower Hill
when we sat next to each other for the exam! DR West rather cleverly, interviewed us one by one , as we walked to visit The Tower and along the embankment. Boiling hot,it was. 1965.

Warmest wishes, Alexandra.

Twins are 16 and in Sixth form, piccy in Daily Mail of September 5th. (don't ask)


That exam day was hot. I can remember leaving home at 6.45 with the sun just coming up and a mist rising off the river and a blue sky above, and my Mum saying it was going to be a scorcher, and it was.

I can also remember DR interviewing us at lunchtime now you remind me. I am with Euterpe on her though.

I believe the English teacher was MRS Betterton, I wasn't very good at English.

I was good at Maths and had Mrs Thomas. Unfortunately her husband was a Methodist minister and as they have to move after 3 years she wasn't there for the sixth form so I dropped it.

And who can forget Mary Norman, a formidable games mistress. After one week in the school she knew the names of everyone and even knew who the slackers were. Not sure if I 'liked' her or not but she was very good.