Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Just a quick question which has bugged me for ages: what do Non-Foundationers call their parents in lessons? I've asked a few and it's always "Mum", "Dad", etc...but I wonder if there are any exceptions?

I know Peter Mayhew was taught by his brother, and just called him Arthur.

What is it like being taught etc by your parents?

I don't know...

Dad never taught me...

that would have just been too uncomfortable...

Dad didnt teach me either, (was never going to do an alevel in design).

But was told by the head just before i started to still call him Dad rather than Sir-which i did, it would have been wierd not too.

What is most bizarre i found as a non foundationer was going from calling staff by their first names prior to CH 6th form then by mr....../miss..... whilst at school to go back to calling them by first names again now i have left and know them as friends etc of parents.

Were you a new dep then? I thought Non-Foundationers always joined on second form, or whereever they were at when their parents got the job...

Amy was a New dep - she decided to slum it (!!) in Horsham...

There seem to be a fair few these days from what I gather reading The Blue.

They were few and far between in my time: Mc Connell, Fryer and "Beaky" Eagle's son are the only three I can think of although there may have been more.

In those days though there were a lot more bachelor masters which probably explains the difference thinking about it!

We did not have any non- Foundationers at Hertford. I can remember DR saying that it was impossible to enter Ch after the age of 12.

My father was the school chaplain of my previous school. As I am sure Matt and Amy agree it is a very strange situation, seeing staff in your own house as friends and then having them teaching you. I was never taught by my Dad, but my mother was the relief nurse in the San and she did give me first aid one time - no way was she anyone other than my Mum then!

The daughter of our school doctor was at Hertford, non-resident, but an "extra" in 8s. Surprise,surprise- as soon as she left, he resigned as our doctor. Mercifully I have forgotten his name.

blondie95 wrote:What is most bizarre i found as a non foundationer was going from calling staff by their first names prior to CH 6th form then by mr....../miss..... whilst at school to go back to calling them by first names again now i have left and know them as friends etc of parents.

My wife has a cousin who lives close to us here. To family he is Fergie but to non-family he is Barry and heaven help us if we call him Barry when others are not present or Fergie if others are there!

His actual name is Ferguson Barry P*****

As for your dilemna, I would have thought that Sir/Madam would have been proper at least in front of other pupils ; did other pupils use teacher's first names? Did Mr Eagle call his son by family or forename (I never did find out)?

sejintenej wrote:

blondie95 wrote:What is most bizarre i found as a non foundationer was going from calling staff by their first names prior to CH 6th form then by mr....../miss..... whilst at school to go back to calling them by first names again now i have left and know them as friends etc of parents.

My wife has a cousin who lives close to us here. To family he is Fergie but to non-family he is Barry and heaven help us if we call him Barry when others are not present or Fergie if others are there!

His actual name is Ferguson Barry P*****

As for your dilemna, I would have thought that Sir/Madam would have been proper at least in front of other pupils ; did other pupils use teacher's first names? Did Mr Eagle call his son by family or forename (I never did find out)?

I did not slum it in Horsham, Tanbridge at that time was a very good state secondary school!

I was offered the oppoutunity at 6th form and thought why not as i had grown up around the boarding school environment, i wanted to know what it really was like!

As for names and addressing staff, whilst at school i did call them all by mr/mrs sir/madam when at school! but out of school so holidays and once left i call them by their first names!

I still find it hard to call teachers by their first names!

Very true, Matt, although I wouldn't anyway, but when I leave I'm still going to call teachers Sir etc...

Katharine wrote:We did not have any non- Foundationers at Hertford. I can remember DR saying that it was impossible to enter Ch after the age of 12.

Hi Katharine

During my time we had someone join 6s for the 6th form. I can't remember her name, but can visualise her sitting opposite me in the Day Room - short blond hair and a very competent lacrosse player. Have no idea how or why she ended up at CH, but I have a feeling that she didn't see out the two years.

Alex, Liz, Mary, Munch - do you remember?

Eruresto wrote:Very true, Matt, although I wouldn't anyway, but when I leave I'm still going to call teachers Sir etc...

I'm sure that you will get over it

I moved from the, then, strictly class-, seniority- affected system of England, where I would have been struck by a thunderous look if I had so much as considered calling Professors anything other than 'Professor', or, the friendly ones 'Prof', to Australia.

When I first addressed our Head of Department as 'Prof', he smiled quizzically at me, and informed me that he is 'Colin'. 'What? No? I couldn't possibly .......'

For the first year of my employment he was Pro-o-o-olin, but I finally realised that it was OK to treat and address him as a normal human being, and that this was in no way being disrespectful of his station.

icomefromalanddownunder wrote:Hi Katharine

During my time we had someone join 6s for the 6th form. I can't remember her name, but can visualise her sitting opposite me in the Day Room - short blond hair and a very competent lacrosse player. Have no idea how or why she ended up at CH, but I have a feeling that she didn't see out the two years.

Alex, Liz, Mary, Munch - do you remember?

Sorry, I don't remember her, though the bit about her leaving early does sound familiar. (I was amazed, I didn't know you could leave early. This suggests it was early in my CH career).

Are you sure about the lacrosse? I didn't think it was played at Hertford.

There was a girl in 6's called Lucy(?) whose mother was a house mistress in one of the houses across the square. I think she may have been a non-foundationer, at least for her first year. After that I think she was a presentee.

Also, was there a history teacher called Mrs Topliss who had a daughter Fiona at the school?