Strange things your teacher did? (MOD NOTE in op)

banie01 · 02-03-2021 12:09pm

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

It’s only the heroic fantasy tales of lads “chinning” the teacher or getting into some dramatic fisticuffs that end with the teacher on his back with some dweeby nerd standing over him, showing him who’s boss, before he’s cheered out of the school gates and getting the support of the staff that no one really swallows.

One of those stories is mine ES, and generally I'd be the 1st to lay a call of BS on similar claims.

That said, the incident of me "chinning" a certain teacher is well known and there's a thread I linked regarding the incident from 2010 with the incident recounted in a thread on the school.
The incident itself was mid 90s.

I wasn't cheered out of the school by any means, but whilst not offered support for my actions.
There were no disciplinary consequences on my part.

Hangdogroad · 02-03-2021 12:15pm

We had this horrible bullying bitch teaching us in second and third class in primary school. She forced a girl whose parents were hippies to sing Christmas carols in front of the class despite the girl saying that they didnt celebrate Christmas.

screamer · 02-03-2021 12:15pm

Secondary teacher used to make you kneel on the concrete floors for the whole lesson if you forgot your book, whilst the teacher who is now principal of the school used to additionally go around and rap his knuckles off the top of your head as you knelt there.

BrokenArrows · 02-03-2021 12:19pm

Banged a kids head against the chalk board when he was being a smart ass.

This was when we were about 7.

You could see on her face immediately that she was like "oh ****, WTF did i just do". But she just went with it and told him to sit down and not be such a smart ass.

Nothing came of it as i assume the kid didnt say anything to his parents.

fryup · 02-03-2021 12:22pm

Hangdogroad wrote: »

We had this horrible bullying bitch teaching us in second and third class in primary school. She forced a girl whose parents were hippies to sing Christmas carols in front of the class despite the girl saying that they didnt celebrate Christmas.

if that's true, she should have been reported....is she still teaching?

mloc123 · 02-03-2021 12:23pm

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Banged a kids head against the chalk board when he was being a smart ass.

This was when we were about 7.

You could see on her face immediately that she was like "oh ****, WTF did i just do". But she just went with it and told him to sit down and not be such a smart ass.

Nothing came of it as i assume the kid didnt say anything to his parents.

Even if he had... I assume this is 20-30 years ago? Parents would have said "you must have done something to deserve it"

NeuralNetwork · 02-03-2021 12:30pm

mloc123 wrote: »

Even if he had... I assume this is 20-30 years ago? Parents would have said "you must have done something to deserve it"

I think it was changing then as there were various showdowns between teachers & parents in my school in the 1990s over incidents like that.

seamus · 02-03-2021 12:31pm

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

I don’t think anyone is doubting your stories, G.

It’s only the heroic fantasy tales of lads “chinning” the teacher or getting into some dramatic fisticuffs that end with the teacher on his back with some dweeby nerd standing over him, showing him who’s boss, before he’s cheered out of the school gates and getting the support of the staff that no one really swallows.

It's always embellished.

There was a teacher in my secondary school, who was also a neighbour of mine. He took a couple of years off after a nervous breakdown, even when he came back he was always a nervy kind of guy, didn't have much confidence, couldn't control classes.
The story was that he had a mental breakdown after 6th years hung him out of a 3rd floor window by the legs. Which makes you think of a grown man hanging upside down outside the building while students hold his ankles.

I found out what actually happened after I left. He had a tendency - I remember it so clearly - to always get distracted by what was happening outside. If the classroom windows were open and there was someone shouting or talking, or even just car doors opening and closing, he couldn't help himself except to go over to the window and have a nosey.

So he did this once from one of the higher windows, stuck his head out the window to take a look down, and two of the students came up behind him and lifted him off the floor by the legs with his head hanging out the window. So he was never in any real danger, but I think it was just the final straw and his confidence was completely shattered.

NeuralNetwork · 02-03-2021 12:32pm

Hangdogroad wrote: »

We had this horrible bullying bitch teaching us in second and third class in primary school. She forced a girl whose parents were hippies to sing Christmas carols in front of the class despite the girl saying that they didnt celebrate Christmas.

I was taken aside by a priest & told “your lot don’t go to church, mass nor meeting” (accurate) but then he told me that “you won’t be allowed into secondary school and your career will be over and then what will you do?”

I was 11 at the time!

BrokenArrows · 02-03-2021 12:35pm

mloc123 wrote: »

Even if he had... I assume this is 20-30 years ago? Parents would have said "you must have done something to deserve it"

I think you are mistaking 20-30 years ago with 50+ years ago.
30 years ago hitting a kid in class was absolutely not allowed and wouldnt have been tolerated.

Hangdogroad · 02-03-2021 12:35pm

fryup wrote: »

if that's true, she should have been reported....is she still teaching?

This was early to mid 80s. If it was reported I dont remember any action being taken. Long after I left, circa early 90s there was a big move by parents to get her removed and I think she took early retirement. She died about four years ago, horrible woman.

BnB · 02-03-2021 12:39pm

I had a teacher in the early 90's who had this way he could catch you by the shoulder squeezing into it that would catch some nerve in there and have you doubled over in agony which he would do if you were acting the ballix in class. He was also an incredible shot with those old wooden dusters and could clock you right on the noggin from across the room if your head was down and you weren't looking at the board when he was explaining something.

Everyone loved him though because a) he was a great teacher and b) he was fair - I never saw pelt anyone with the duster or do the shoulder thing to someone who didn't deserve it. You could be a straight A model student, but the day you decide to act up in class.... you'll get it. On the other hand, you could be a serial messer, but the day you decide to get on with your work, he'd be there to help you

There were a few other teachers in the school at that stage who would hit lads a belt here and there but they were only kunts.

Quags · 02-03-2021 12:48pm

thecretinhop wrote: »

One kid stole a box of chalk, he opened the window 5 stories up and held him out until he gave it back. I think the kid needed therapy after it.

the poor kid

corner of hells · 02-03-2021 12:50pm

NeuralNetwork wrote: »

I was taken aside by a priest & told “your lot don’t go to church, mass nor meeting” (accurate) but then he told me that “you won’t be allowed into secondary school and your career will be over and then what will you do?”

I was 11 at the time!

We had a teacher that segregated kids according to what your fathers occupation was , chilfren of teachers , Gardai , professionals were all identified as going to be succesful in society.. the rest were , according to him not going to achieve much in life.

Portlawslim · 02-03-2021 12:54pm

Another story I'm reminded of is from my primary school days, 3rd standard new teacher to us divided the class into four rows , those on his right were the better performing students and as you moved to the left you had the those that didn't perform that well, He'd reshuffle the class every week moving different students according to how they performed on his weekly tests. On the surface that probably seems like a good idea to get lads to try harder but it turned out he was a raging Alcoholic and couldn't contain his anger.
I had performed quite well in school up to 3rd Standard and started to not want to go anymore. Mother decided to call in and see what was going on, he opened the door stinking of drink and bleary eyed. She went straight to the principle, nothing came of it.
The next parent teacher meeting as he was outside the school hall pissing in a bush as the parents were going in. My parents turn to meet with him and when they mentioned my name he said "oh that little Boll*x" my father caught him by the throat and wanted to kick the **** out of him, Parish Priest and Principle had to drag him off. He disappeared for a year and a half and came back a new man

cameramonkey · 02-03-2021 12:56pm

corner of hells wrote: »

We had a teacher that segregated kids according to what your fathers occupation was , chilfren of teachers , Gardai , professionals were all identified as going to be succesful in society.. the rest were , according to him not going to achieve much in life.

Pretty common in the 70s and 80s to ask what the occupation of the father was. There was also a class(social) based element to who got a beating (poorer kids) and who got left untouched.

Eoinbmw · 02-03-2021 12:58pm

In 4th class primary we had this lovely Male teacher who would walk up and down the class all day reciting poetry or practicing drama to himself!
When I look back now he was a lovely fellow who was heavily involved in performing arts!
He was a real eccentric!

Mimon · 02-03-2021 12:59pm

landofthetree wrote: »

A couple of incidents in a midlands secondary school in the 1980s. I was in primary school at the time but remember hearing about them.

First one was a whole class failed ordinary Irish on purpose as a protest against the teacher.

The second was a class covered the wrong history syllabus for Leaving Cert. They didnt discover it till March and the mocks.

Was still in primary and the local secondary at the time was a shambles.

My cousin's year were not allowed a school tour as they we too rowdy. They went and booked a bus themselves and went off to Dublin for the day. Everyone that went got suspended

NeuralNetwork · 02-03-2021 1:00pm

We’d a few surprisingly open minded teachers though too.

I remember for example we had a sex education class and she went though all the methods of contraception and then said, “apparently I’m supposed to teach the rhythm method due to our Catholic ethos.”

“Lads, it doesn’t work - just take one message from this class : use condoms!”

We also had someone decided to make a really rather nasty gay joke and she just said: “And what’s the problem? Any one of us might be gay? I might be gay. Did you wake up this morning and find a joke book from the 1950s?”

This was in the late 90s and in a fairly stuffy, but not necessarily conservative, Catholic school.

Things were definitely changing but you could be one minute dealing with modernity and the next a shadow of mid 20th century, conservative Ireland.

sleepyman · 02-03-2021 1:01pm

banie01 wrote: »

A technical drawing teacher who was of a very nervous disposition, and often threatened to hand over our names to the Russians.
Even though the cold war was over a few years at this stage, was often convinced that planes flying over were actually Russian Paratroopers on their way to take over Shannon Airport.
Cue years of the "Russians are coming" chants from students with associated meltdowns on his part.

An English teacher who was fond of flowing language and very erudite. He was also a quite large framed man and a bully
He pulled me once for talking in class (For once it actually wasn't me) and flew into a rage.
I repeatedly told him I wasn't, he hauled me into the corridor and asked was I calling him a liar?
Me being a smart arsed 1st year with a Grandad who was fond of word play and excuses....
Said, "No, not a liar but you are guilty of a terminalogical inexactitude!"
Caught a fair clip on the ear for that before being marched to the office.

Also had an English and History teacher who reffed for the FAI.
I was playing at a tournament in Galway (Not school related) and said teacher was there as a ref.
Over the course of that weekend he was arrested for quite a violent sexual assault of a woman up there.
When I returned to school, I told my class what happened.
Had English shortly afterwards and he erupted at me in class, pulled me out of my desk and assaulted me.
Well tried to, because I lamped him, left him on the floor and walked myself down to the office to tell the Principal what I'd one and why!

Still though, had a great time in school and would definitely recommend the said school to others and have even sent my own son there

Same school as myself in Limerick it sounds.Said English teacher was a bully-easy to be the big man when you're picking on 12-13 years old.He also three a hissy fit over a lad who was an atheist and had no religion.
TD teacher really shouldn't have been teaching.He was still there when I started there in 1993.

banie01 · 02-03-2021 1:02pm

sleepyman wrote: »

Same school as myself in Limerick it sounds.Said English teacher was a bully-easy to be the big man when you're picking on 12-13 years old.He also three a hissy fit over a lad who was an atheist and had no religion.
TD teacher really shouldn't have been teaching.He was still there when I started there in 1993.

I was a only a few years ahead of you then

FionnK86 · 02-03-2021 1:02pm

Ms.Disney used to karate kick the light switch on, absolute legend.

Mimon · 02-03-2021 1:04pm

cameramonkey wrote: »

Pretty common in the 70s and 80s to ask what the occupation of the father was. There was also a class(social) based element to who got a beating (poorer kids) and who got left untouched.

Will never forget this wagon of a teacher doing it and when it came to a lad who's father was unemployed he couldn't say it and was in tears, she started shouting at him to spit it out.

The same one gave us the honesty morality lesson and said that as long as we told the truth and we wouldn't get in trouble.

Fast forward a week and she was asking me why I had only done part of my Irish homework and with the honesty thing in my mind I said I couldn't be bothered :pac:

She made me follow her for the day, took me into the staff canteen and proceeded to get me to tell what I had said, I was in tears/humiliated. Must go and piss on her grave actually.

maccored · 02-03-2021 1:06pm

our english teacher used to have a bottle of Jamesons in his bag and was commonly quite drunk whilst teaching.

Ger Roe · 02-03-2021 1:07pm

In the early 1980's at secondary school, we had a PE teacher that took his job really seriously. We exclusively played GAA field games in all bad weather conditions and no matter what ailment you might have had. He used to say that a note from your mother would not get you out of PE, unless she called in to deliver it herself.

On our last session with him in 6th year, he got us all to space out and line up diagonally across the GAA pitch. He then told us that while he hated 'foreign games' there might come a time in our lives when it would be an advantage to say that we played rugby at school, even through that would never happen on his watch.

He then produced a rugby ball and passed it to the boy at the top of the line telling him to then pass it back along. He went to the end of the line, caught the ball from the last boy and wished us well for our future, saying that if anyone asked, we could now say that we played rugby at school.

thecretinhop · 02-03-2021 1:07pm

Quags wrote: »

the poor kid

BTW this 100pc happened I was in de class.
there was one lad too who used to think he was cool blowing up condoms. worked in some classes till crazy geo teacher caught him
feckin chocked him bad. I think he got suspended for a week for dat one.
same kid was a clown tho. 4 borders pissed on him all at once, he was not right after dat. fk me ye have realsed something in me must ring my therapist lol..

HungrySeagull · 02-03-2021 1:10pm

Female secondary school in the late 90's-early 2000's. I had a Geography teacher, who was also a P.E. teacher, who would send you down to the back of the class to do sit ups if you were caught talking or playing Snake on your Nokia.

She also had a habit of giving some of the girls a fair tip of her car keys on the backside in P.E.

Gregor Samsa · 02-03-2021 1:10pm

NeuralNetwork wrote: »

We’d a few surprisingly open minded teachers though too.

We had a Christian Brother religion teacher in secondary school who was one of the nicest people I've ever met. Pleasant, confident, respectful never hurt anyone. Seemingly he had run a successful business in his earlier years and was in a relationship, and lost both due to drinking, so after he got cleaned up (fairly late in life) he joined the Brothers and became a teacher as he wanted to do something positive with his life (as he saw it).

Anyway, in religion class, he'd spend most of his time teaching us that Jesus didn't actually perform any miracles, that God wasn't an omnipotent being watching down on us, and that heaven and hell weren't literal places of reward and punishment. He was basically a pantheist dressed up as a Christian Brother. At the time, it was one of the first exposures I'd ever had to someone who wasn't a straight up Catholic. Unfortunately, most of the class didn't pay any attention to him. He was a very interesting person.

arsebiscuits82 · 02-03-2021 1:11pm

Our old headmaster used to give us a challenge every friday evening to make up words from a list of letters.
Turns out he was using Countdown from during the week, and the letters nearly always made up the conundrum. He had to start using random letters once we figured out his trick. Suppose it got us into english a bit and we took it in turns to watch countdown to learn the words.

the beer revolu · 02-03-2021 1:13pm

thecretinhop wrote: »

BTW this 100pc happened I was in de class.

Well, that's all by doubts dispelled!

Strange things your teacher did? (MOD NOTE in op)

Comments