Miss Von Stetten

Share your memories and stories from the Hertford Christ's Hospital School, which closed in 1985, when the two schools integrated to the Horsham site....

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seventhirty
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Miss Von Stetten

Post by seventhirty »

Don't know why she popped into my head, does anyone know her life story. I think she had been a teacher , she had left before I arrived, then turned up again in about 1974, and lived in a flat in the basement of the music block for a couple of years. I remember her as something quite fearful ,like the phantom of the opera; we knew she was there from the noises off, but rarely saw her. I found it really spooky being in the music block in the evenings, often just me, hearing these faint sounds from the 'cellar'. I always assumed she was some kind of wartime refugee, a bit like some of the 'little old men' who pulled the tea trolleys around the site.
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by Jo »

if you search for "von stetten" you will find a number of posts referring to her - some of which revealed that she could be very sweet, despite appearing to be on another planet sometimes.
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by fra828 »

I remember a text book Miss V-S used called 'Lustiges Learning' and there were also some very dated text books with pictures- of German families on the beach or on holiday,(pre- 2nd world war, or so they seemed to us at the time!) and they were written in Gothic print which was hard to read, especially when you are new to it. Miss V-S got us penfriends when we started German in our 2nd year. These came mostly from towns and villages around Nuremburg where, I think, she originally came from - and I am chuffed to say that I am still in touch with mine-Hanne- more than 40 years later! We have visited each other three times in all, the last of which was 20 years ago- but we write to each other a couple of times a year in English, as I haven't used German for many years- and we still exchange Christmas presents. :)
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by gillieg »

I have a lasting memory of her switching on the dorm lights at spot on 7.00 and bellowing "why are you not up and dressing" - delivered in a stereotypical German accent. I imagine she had a troubled past.
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by gillieg »

[quote="seventhirty"]Don't know why she popped into my head, does anyone know her life story. I think she had been a teacher , she had left before I arrived, then turned up again in about 1974, and lived in a flat in the basement of the music block for a couple of years. I remember her as something quite fearful ,like the phantom of the opera; we knew she was there from the noises off, but rarely saw her. I found it really spooky being in the music block in the evenings, often just me, hearing these faint sounds from the 'cellar'. I always assumed she was some kind of wartime refugee, a bit like some of the 'little old men' who pulled the tea trolleys around the site.[/quote]


Little old men with trollies - Oh I had completely forgotten them. :?
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by annabelle »

Such a strange little woman who tried so hard to teach the B form German - a sort of second class status which made us all uncomfortable but even tho I was not much good at it when I was taken ill and ad my appendix out she sent me a samll Steiff rabbit which still sits in my bedroom to this day - one of the few acts of genuine adult kindness I experienced at the time!
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by Katharine »

It must have been very strange for her knowing that she would be teaching just the B stream except for her A level pupils. Did she relish the VI form lessons with those who really wanted to learn her language?
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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NEILL THE NOTORIOUS
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by NEILL THE NOTORIOUS »

Geman Gothic Print --------- !
but did you ever encounter Deutsche Shrift handwriting ? :oops:

I used to have German Friend -- a Farmer, whom I met in Communist Czecholovakia (Another story !)
and he always wrote in "Spiky lines" ---- very difficult to interpret !! :lol:
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J.R.
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by J.R. »

Katharine wrote:It must have been very strange for her knowing that she would be teaching just the B stream except for her A level pupils. Did she relish the VI form lessons with those who really wanted to learn her language?

GERMAN and V1 Form Lessons.

Did she ever advance to V2 ?

To quote Basil Fawlty.................

'Vot ever you do, don't Mention Zer Vaw' !
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by Angela Woodford »

JR, this is an awful thing to say, regarding poor Nutto.

There was a terrible post, some time back, in which, it was recollected, the poor woman was accused in class of being a Nazi.

She was desperately hurt and distressed.
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by englishangel »

and Katharine, being an educated lady, has written the Roman numeral VI not V1 so it's not even funny.
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by Jo »

.....but why let a minor detail like that get in the way of a good old offensive racist joke, eh? :roll:
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by Katharine »

Thank you for that compliment, mary! I always think of the VI form in Roman numerals, it just isn't right to me as 6th form! I suppose I should have expected JR's reaction.
Katharine Dobson (Hills) 6.14, 1959 - 1965
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by englishangel »

and strangely, the only time she ever spoke to me was when I was practising in the music school and she asked if I was Mary Vincett, and pronounced it Winkett. (I was/am)
"If a man speaks, and there isn't a woman to hear him, is he still wrong?"
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Re: Miss Von Stetten

Post by J.R. »

I did consider typing VI, but then said to myself, as dear old Capt. Mainwairing often said... "I wondered which one of you would spot that first"

Sorry, if you don't like my sense of humour, but the old adages of 'tigers' and 'spots', and 'old dogs' and 'tricks' springs to mind ! :lol:
John Rutley. Prep B & Coleridge B. 1958-1963.
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