Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

So, any thoughts?

Didn't know you could apply to be a monitor!

We couldn't apply to be a monitor. The position was used as a control feature by the ward mistress when I was at school. She used it as a tool for humilation - i.e.normally someone in a pool of seniors - upper/senior sixth girls would be chosen, but if she disliked you - as mine did me - she would appoint someone of a lower rank - and in my era the pecking order was very clear - to be a monitor so that the more eligible candidate would be humiliated. A lower sixth girl was appointed over me when I was in the upper sixth.Strangely enough, at the same time, I had a remark on one report by DR West which said I used my authority well in ward, but I didn't actually have any, having been demoted by the ward mistress. You should have a category - should have been a monitor but was passed over out of spite

To nominate yourself as a monitor was one of these 'cunning' plans that have happened in the last 5 years after I left - it means that many who should have been monitors did not put their own name forward...

On my year, those who were nearly chosen as monitors got a 'thanks for trying letter' from the head.... I wish I never knew I'd been in the frame...

I know I really wanted to be one at the time (funny how much things matter when your 16!), but with hindsight I'm glad I wasn't - I'm sure I'd have done even worse at my A-levels if I'd had that as a distraction as well!
You couldn't nominate yourself in my time (as far as I was aware - unless of course everyone hid it from me?!?) - it was all a bit of a black art...
I'm sure the previous Senior Grecian and monitors must have had an input?

J

I'm one who applied, failed, and am extremely glad in the end that I was neither a monitor nor had academic buttons.
I was outraged at how the monitors got treated by the teachers as if they were superior human beings to the rest of the school, let alone the year group. Because of the mentality that the teachers gave them, the monitors themselves, most of whom had been perfectly nice and ordinary people, because very arrogant and thought they were better than everyone else.
I had (and still have) a close friend who was a monitor and an academic. Being with him made me feel like he was a better person than me.
Not only did some monitors and academic-buttoned people (I got all A's except 2 B's at my O-Levels and did not get given academic buttons) think that they were above everyone else in the school, but tragically, they thought that about themselves in general society as well. They thought they didn't have to work so hard to get into a good university because they could just say they were a monitor at C.H. On my year group at least, it ended up being a myth that the academics and monitors got automatically accepted at the best universities. They don't consider your internal school 'achievements', they look at your grades, other achievements, and your academic potential!
I missed out on getting into Cambridge, and went to the university of East Anglia instead. I am now deputy chairman of one of the UK's top 100 companies.
What I'm trying to say, and perhaps not doing it particularly well, is that to any current pupils who feel maybe hard-done-by in some way - don't worry, just work hard and be yourself. Being a monitor is NO advantage whatsoever to your life, in fact, it's probably a setback in your mental maturity, as well as your academic progress.

NP, when did you leave CH?

In my day you didn't "apply" to be a monitor unless I was completely living on another planet!

I was chosen as an house monitor, probably by default, but was not a school monitor.

One of my best mates ( who I'm still in contact with) was not a monitor so I guess I picked up some diplomatic skills in dealing with that potentially tricky situation.

In that respect being an house monitor probably benefited me in the long term.

I managed to be a house monitor, band captain (no automatic buttons in those days), earned my academic buttons (for French), but was never a school monitor. I was never quite serious or responsible enough, a trait which continues to this day.

Come to think of it, that's probably why I'm in the music industry and not working in a bank or similar.

The case with my year, as I assume was the case with all years, was that there were loads of good monitors but an equal number of absolute dickheads, a bit like non-monitors. So if the proportions of nice people:dickheads is the same for both monitors and non-monitors, then by definition the whole thing is totally arbitrary.

The people who appoint monitors are (some of) the least 'in touch' members of staff. This means very unsuitable people get appointed, which causes resentment.

Many MANY of them turn into power-happy pricks. Even if they weren't before. So you can imagine how bad the monitors were who had 'military aspirations'......

They always form a clique. Just like PLs in scouts, senior NCOs in cadets (sure I was just as guilty on both those counts ).

It is a mathmatical certainty that dep-monitors (in the summer term) will, at least a few times, try to tell grecians to do their bands up. The mathmatically certain outcome, is that said dep-monitor is told to 'go f*ck himself'. His failed exertion of power, causes him to victimise juniors as they are easy targets.

If you appoint new deps, they are very often less adequate at their job (though they do go out of their way to try and please), as they simply do not know the school well enough. Similarly, two terms is not enough to judge whether someone is monitor material or not.
If you don't appoint new deps, it's really unfair on all of them.

I am sure the forum's resident member of staff will do his best to justify it all.
Educate me......

I kinda with you there Hendrik, although my years senior NCO's didn't for a clique (there were only three of us).
Two terms isn't long enough to be judged on whether or not you will make a good monitor and yes it does cause resentment.

Laura M wrote:I kinda with you there Hendrik, although my years senior NCO's didn't for a clique (there were only three of us).
Two terms isn't long enough to be judged on whether or not you will make a good monitor and yes it does cause resentment.

On my year, the senior grecian was a new dep called Joel Jardine - he was a decent bloke but most of the school hadn't heard of him...

It did cause resentment...

Also, one of the 2nd monitors was a little controversial - I remember him being booed when it was announced!

Deps as School Monitors?

WTF is going on? Can someone please explain?

Richard Ruck wrote:Deps as School Monitors?

WTF is going on? Can someone please explain?

Think it's just in the summer term when the following years monitors are appointed - there's a few weeks where there are the Grecian monitors and the newly chosen ones. May have changed since my day though!

Richard Ruck wrote:Deps as School Monitors?

WTF is going on? Can someone please explain?

Just as Vonny says!