Hilarie Stelfox: A teacher is for life, not just your GCSEs

Oct 10 2009 by Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

WHEN I was at junior school we had a teacher called Mr Duckworth, who was old enough to have taught my father and sadistic enough to use the cane on a regular basis.

He once caned every member of our class so that we would, in his own words, “know what it is like to be punished.’’ This was supposed to be a deterrent but it clearly wasn’t as effective as he hoped because some of the naughtier boys went home with lean, mean weals on their bottoms almost every day.

I was reminded of Mr Duckworth when having one of those ‘clearing out’ days last week. I found his name on an old school report, one of many squirrelled away by my mother and passed on to me for posterity. They made interesting reading. In fact, two hours after starting the task of sorting my personal ‘file’ I was still taking an absorbing trip down memory lane.

“Hilarie,’’ said my report from Mr Duckworth, “has intelligence and is a beautifully neat worker. She should do REASONABLY well.’’

I showed the Man-in-Charge, who thought it exceedingly amusing.

“But he was right, wasn’t he,’’ he said. “You have done ‘reasonably well.’ You’re not fantastically rich or famous but you’ve got a good job, a family and a nice home.’’

I had to admit there was some truth in this but no-one wants to be thought of as so mediocre that the best they can hope for is to do ‘reasonably well.’

Primary teachers these days would never get away with writing a single line, as appeared on some of my reports, simply saying: “Tries hard’, ‘Has done good work’ or ‘Showing some improvement.’

A friend who is a teacher says it takes her hours to complete a set of reports. Educators back in the 1960s must have spent all of five minutes, if that.

My reports from secondary school were even more fascinating, particularly as it would seem that over the years I have consistently and grossly exaggerated my youthful academic prowess.

Things started out well enough in my first year or two at grammar school when reports showed I aced the exams and applied myself during term time.

But by Years 10 and 11 the marks were falling and the word ‘excellent’ no longer appears, having been replaced by ‘very good when she applies herself’ and ‘more effort required.’

At A level I was being described as a pupil who ‘sets her sights too low.’