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French teacher

Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:46 am
by Tim_MaA_MidB
I am trying to recall the name of one of the most feared teachers at CH. He was a French teacher who appeared to keep very much to himself. He was very strict and gave vocabulary tests which had excessive consequences if they were failed. I am sure he had a French sounding name.

Anyway, I have had cause to appreciate his discipline... even after 20 years I can still remember a fair bit of French and it has come in handy on a number of occasions.

Re: French teacher

Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 11:24 am
by Mid A 15
Tim_MaA_MidB wrote:I am trying to recall the name of one of the most feared teachers at CH. He was a French teacher who appeared to keep very much to himself. He was very strict and gave vocabulary tests which had excessive consequences if they were failed. I am sure he had a French sounding name.

Anyway, I have had cause to appreciate his discipline... even after 20 years I can still remember a fair bit of French and it has come in handy on a number of occasions.
Louis Bardou?

Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 12:17 pm
by J.R.
Oh Dear ! I can see this thread going off at a tangent.

I can't remember any French teachers at CH.

There was a rather lovely French/Lady teacher living locally. She specialised up to 'O' level.

(I await the Flak !!)

Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 1:20 pm
by Tim_MaA_MidB
Bardou... that's the one ... thx

Anyone know where he is now?

(French Oral exam was always a target for double entendres)

Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 2:32 pm
by J.R.
Tim_MaA_MidB wrote:Bardou... that's the one ... thx

Anyone know where he is now?

(French Oral exam was always a target for double entendres)
.... better not mention 'A' Levels, then !!

Posted: Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:14 pm
by sejintenej
I had the dubious pleasure in later CH years to be guardianed by a man who was brought up in France, served with de Gaulle in London and was fluent though he never spoke it in the house.

He interviewed my French teacher (name forgotten) and concluded that the man had not the slightest competence in the language. A year later I passsed O level after a different teacher and the said guardian found the paper very difficult (so did I)!

Looking back, the standard was way ahead of what I now have to speak day in, day out. OTOH, my daugfhter got Spanish GCSE and cannot string a simple sentence together. Standards have slipped.

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:13 pm
by JamesF35
Wasn't Louis Bardou reported to have once said . . .
"That really put the cat amongst the biscuit crumbs." ?

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:34 pm
by marty
Tim_MaA_MidB wrote:Bardou... that's the one ... thx

Anyone know where he is now?

(French Oral exam was always a target for double entendres)
Please tell me his nickname was Brigitte

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 11:57 pm
by UserRequestedRemoval
Oh help, just seeing that name in print gives me shivers. Moniseur Bardou. He and I never got on with the result that I miserably failed my "O" level.
Mr Farrar now there was a great French teacher, I had so much fun translating the Asterix cartoons with him!

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:22 am
by Rory
When I was at school I went to Louis Bardou's wedding in Worth Abbey - I've no idea why I went - it might have been something to do with the choir - but I remember thinking - WOW - there's hope for everyone!!
It is odd when you see someone "out of context".....makes you see the human side...

I was more scared of Farrar tho' .

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:02 am
by Richard Ruck
Rory wrote:When I was at school I went to Louis Bardou's wedding in Worth Abbey - I've no idea why I went - it might have been something to do with the choir - but I remember thinking - WOW - there's hope for everyone!!
It is odd when you see someone "out of context".....makes you see the human side...

I was more scared of Farrar tho' .
Aaah, yes, I remember his wife, Ruth. She used to play the timpani in the Horsham Orchestra.

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:12 am
by Rory
He probably called her 'root'

anyway - how come you were up so early this morning???

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:24 am
by Richard Ruck
Rory wrote:He probably called her 'root'

anyway - how come you were up so early this morning???
I usually am - just not always at the computer.....

When were you in the choir, then? Must've been when you were a junior.

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:31 am
by DavebytheSea
J.R. wrote:Oh Dear

I can't remember any French teachers at CH.
I assure you there were one or two. Arthur Rider for one and Noel "Sam" Sargent for another.

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:55 am
by Rory
When were you in the choir, then? Must've been when you were a junior.
I think it was -

DBTS just mentioned Arthur Rider - he was really old. I mentioned him just yesterday to my daughter because a teacher at her school had given her a strange name - and I mentioned that once, many years ago, this really old man decided, for no good reason, to call me "brickdust".