Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

soc wrote:When I was there, I was always getting Sicker duty which involved sitting at a desk date stamping the sick cards of all those seeing the doctor that morning. Dumb job or what.

Haven't heard of that one before!

It was a great way of getting out of part of double french in the morning

soc wrote:It was a great way of getting out of part of double french in the morning

Yeah - definitely sounds preferable to a french lesson!

Especially with Moniseur Bardou Uggggg

Have only just seen this one but Louis Bardou got me through O level a year early and with an A, as did everyone in the set. He left after my GE year (1981)...but if there is anyone out there who remembers him reading the lesson one Sunday chapel now that's was the event of the year.

Louis English at best was incomprehensible and when he came down the asle during the last refrain to a hymn, there were smiles all round as he steadily made his way to the eagle lecturn which was bang in the middle of the aisle.

Silence and then .........

" Ze lecon is taking from Jean Chapitre ......."

It was a riot and we were all squeezing in our breeches not to burst out in hilarity...

As for Farrar, I wrote elswhere on him as i came in for a cropper in my final year...Gnrrrr

I liked Mr Farrar. He was friendly, offered opportunities but took no prisoners if people misbehaved. Fair enough.
I used to sit between him and the Russian assistant translating conversations from French through to Russian and back during my A level year. Fantastic.

He was a good teahcer but my criticism of him was that he'd rock up 30 minutes or more so late to a double period and quiet frankly that was not what Iexpected in my A level year. I and another grecian returned to our Houses on one occasion only to receieve the biggest bollocking from a Yorkshireman in my life. It was a little unproffesional and sadly, caused a stir in Common Room. I applied for a French job at CH just after uni and was never invited to interview...I learned a few years later at JED's farewell do that my CV was thrown into the bin..nice. I ended up teaching fro four hapy years at Oakham in the end.

And the last four postings sum it all up (for any slagged off teachers reading this forum!) - it's all very personal and subjective. I was there when both Louis B and Tom F arrived. The times they were a' changin' at CH - language labs, Arthur Rider and his Rover retiring, the new theatre complex, the Grecians club. Louis was a bit of a joke for the year or two I was there (linguistically - the accent and the more than occasional misuse of idiomatic English), but a good teacher will out. Tom was also a change of direction (I had a lot of respect for Arthur Rider, and he probably taught me a lot, but the time had come to embrace a few new ideas and some Modern Technology...).

My point, really, is that whatever your 'thing' is, your favourite teacher might well be one of them...

Succinctly put... ? Maybe not!

CHAZ wrote:He was a good teahcer but my criticism of him was that he'd rock up 30 minutes or more so late to a double period and quiet frankly that was not what Iexpected in my A level year. I and another grecian returned to our Houses on one occasion only to receieve the biggest bollocking from a Yorkshireman in my life. It was a little unproffesional and sadly, caused a stir in Common Room. I applied for a French job at CH just after uni and was never invited to interview...I learned a few years later at JED's farewell do that my CV was thrown into the bin..nice. I ended up teaching fro four hapy years at Oakham in the end.

We had a few teachers that ambled over late from the staff room after break, in particular our French teacher in our O Level year (Miss Riddiford, who has been discussed elsewhere). Although I liked her well enough, she wasn't a great teacher, and she was lazy - other omissions included not noting our marks in her record book after marking our work, and wasting the first 5-10 minutes of class getting us all to read our marks back to her to write down. I felt it was unprofessional, when some people needed all the help they could get to get through their O Level, so I brought it up with our form mistress at form time, and she got Miss Morrison (senior mistress) to speak to her. Things improved after that.

CHAZ wrote:He was a good teahcer but my criticism of him was that he'd rock up 30 minutes or more so late to a double period and quiet frankly that was not what Iexpected in my A level year. I and another grecian returned to our Houses on one occasion

I remember the occasion! CHAZ was braver than the rest of us in leaving the classroom - we just carried on sitting there until Pete Farrer finally turned up a few minutes before the end of the lesson and threw a wobbler that anyone had dared disappear.

However, as he told us on many occasions: "Eh, but I've mellowed..."

I also remember him coming into class somewhat subdued and shocked and explaining that he'd just talked to a junior in the corridor and the boy had simply burst into tears. He seemed incredulous that he might have that effect (it was, however, all too credible to the rest of us).

(Hello CHAZ!)

beinv'nue Geraint!

At last a contemporary....Good memory of the incident and the other Grecian was Andy Stobbart who actually sat next to you or very close by.
Farrar was a tough Yorkshireman but when present a good teacher and if I lived 13 yeasr in France a lot of it was down to him...

(Loved the website which I had seen before when organising the 20 year reunion which you unfortunately couldn't make...Look forward to seeing your entries in the months to come)

Ajarn Philip wrote:And the last four postings sum it all up (for any slagged off teachers reading this forum!) - it's all very personal and subjective. I was there when both Louis B and Tom F arrived. The times they were a' changin' at CH - language labs, Arthur Rider and his Rover retiring, the new theatre complex, the Grecians club. Louis was a bit of a joke for the year or two I was there (linguistically - the accent and the more than occasional misuse of idiomatic English), but a good teacher will out. Tom was also a change of direction (I had a lot of respect for Arthur Rider, and he probably taught me a lot, but the time had come to embrace a few new ideas and some Modern Technology...).

My point, really, is that whatever your 'thing' is, your favourite teacher might well be one of them...

Succinctly put... ? Maybe not!

Yes and I was being personal and subjective, Philip. Bardou was great and got the whole set 1 French an A at O level. just regret that he wasn't there for my A levels...

By the way Philip how come you were in 3 houses? Nightmare for the name tapes and house shirts non?

Tom F should have been Peter F, of course. Another language teacher arrived at about the same time... Tom Jeffers?

The House thing is a long story for another occasion.

Ajarn Philip wrote:Tom F should have been Peter F, of course. Another language teacher arrived at about the same time... Tom Jeffers?

The House thing is a long story for another occasion.

Two of the three houses must have been the normal progression from junior to senior house at that time which leaves the third??

I went from Col A to be House Captain of Mid B. In a nutshell.