Letter to my school

Dear St Thomas Moore,

I am very lucky that I made some great friends whilst at the school, but you could have ruined me. You did not notice a bright, intelligent child in need. (There I go blowing my own trumpet).

When Mr Nutt (yes that was his real name, not sure if his wife was really called Hazel), hauled myself and Mandy Mac in front of the whole school to humiliate us, that was out of order.  We had stared at a girl from another school to wonder why she was staring at us. We were not bullies. You knew that. We were good catholic girls from nice families. You should have got your facts right first.

When Mr Pierce practically beat the shit out of Michael Ahearne for giggling in his art class, that has stayed with me for life. Perhaps Mr Pierce, you had your own homophobic tendencies that you were trying to get out of your system.  Mr C, the PE Teacher you were a nice guy, but you didn’t do anything to discourage the girls from flirting with you and you accidentally walked into the changing rooms when we were in a bras and knickers a few times to many! As for Mr Lomax, you were a sadistic bully. It was cruel that you told me that I looked an utter state. Did you know that my Mum was in and out of mental hospitals during my childhood?  Was it absolutely essential that you caned boys in front of the whole school for getting excited when the snow fell?

Mr Everard, you were a wet fart and your Jesus creepers with white socks was not a good look, but you were very kind and your heart was in the right place. You encouraged me to do well and gave me a lead part in the school play.  I relished being on the stage and got great laughs from the audience.  During the school talent show, myself and a bunch of girls rehearsed for weeks and weeks to dance to a song from Grease. I loved wearing the long skirt, ankle socks and pumps. But I never got to perform as I was called out just before going on stage to have my school medical. You bastards!  Could you not have just waited another ten minutes for me?

When my Nan died and I was in a mess with trying to understand my mum’s mental illness, I was a bit withdrawn. But I was not thick like you thought I was. Nothing wrong with French life studies because you did not think I was not bright enough to speak the friggin language but I did not want to be making French onion soup, I wanted some oo la la and when I finally got put in the French Speaking class, I came out top! I also came out with A grades in my exams and when I went up to Senior School, I was in the top ability classes where I belonged. St Thomas Moore, you tried to squash me and did not notice a little girl that needed some TLC. Anyway, thank goodness the children were all so lovely and I learned more from Aunty Marion the Dinner Lady than most of the teachers put together. 

I didn’t do too badly out of this experience anyway. It made me a stronger person. Schools today would not get away with that behavior.  I had a great time at Salesians School in Chertsey.  Oozing with confidence, I became a holiday rep for several years, have been successful in recruitment and ran my own business for six years and write on a fairly regular basis for one of the financial papers. So stick that where the sun don’t shine!