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Stories from your school days

66Mustang
66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
Do you have any interesting stories to share from your school days?

I was meant to be getting changed for PE in about 2003 but was messing about so as a punishment the teacher made me get changed outside in the playground during play time. It makes me feel old being able to say the following but I don’t think that would be allowed these days, it would be against some kind of right.

I was also hit with a clipboard in 2007 which I think was quite a modern time for teachers to be hitting pupils, in the 70s sure attacking pupils was fair game but 2007?!

Overall though I had quite a sheltered school life. I have heard stories from people where they went to schools which were just feral - setting fire to cars and in high school older students going in the wrong gender toilet and doing questionable things. Compared to that my school was pretty civilised.

Comments

  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,521 Disability Gamechanger
    Whilst I was at grammar school and was probably about 15 we would congregate on one of the corridors at break time and at the end of the corridor was the lady teachers toilet, having seen one of the young women enter the toilet we locked her in.
    I remember my time at grammar school as being great fun, most of the teachers were useless we were on first name terms with most of them and I remember our metal work teacher used to let us smoke in his office.
    Although this was between 1970-75 I never once saw or heard of anybody being caned or physically punished, I flatly refused to do P.E for the whole of my time there and it was just accepted.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Sounds like a very relaxed school @woodbine

    smoking in the teachers office haha :D

    I wasn’t allowed to refuse PE but my parents knew I hated it and got bullied so they wrote me a sick note most weeks
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    We were allowed to smoke in the youth club on school site if you were in your final year 

    I went to a comprehensive school we didn't have a uniform wore our own clothes 

    There was another school on the other side of the road and there were plenty of conflicts and tough competition 
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,521 Disability Gamechanger
    @janer1967 that just reminded me of something else we had a full school uniform but in my final 2 years the badge was held on with a paper-clip and i reused to wear the tie, mainly because every Friday some of us went for a chinese with a couple of beers.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 46,788 Disability Gamechanger
    I was a star pupil until we hit seniors, then we did daft things instead of learning. Like acting silly in classes. Many after school days spent writing lines in detention. Which served no purpose what so ever. 
    When the schools started striking, I  remember the whole school pupils going out on strike to annoy the teachers and because was so many of us they didn't do anything. Apart from a stern talk in esembly from a bemused head teacher.
    Lots of playing truant and just being a pain in the neck.
    Was fun tho.

  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    Thank you for sharing, everyone :open_mouth:
  • leeCal
    leeCal Community member Posts: 7,550 Disability Gamechanger
    We collectively played up our chemistry teacher so badly that he eventually would come in, fill an entire rotary blackboard with text and then walked out again. I have always felt very sorry for him. As a consequence we all failed chemistry. ☹️

    “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.” 
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

  • JustPete
    JustPete Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 303 Pioneering
    ........Well............even after 30 odd years, some things that happened at school are probably best left at school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  >:)o:)>:)o:)  
    I am a Scope Community Volunteer Adviser with knowledge of "life"!  Lived experience including employing personal assistants, being gay, sport & leisure inclusion & participation, mental health issues.  

    What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse.  'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”
  • Justcheckingin15
    Justcheckingin15 Community member Posts: 370 Pioneering
    ?@mikehughes...maybe demonstrating  how to 'Love Thy Neighbour'..?
  • Bi33yLi88y
    Bi33yLi88y Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    Sadly some teachers were just pure bullies! ?
  • rubin16
    rubin16 Community member Posts: 348 Pioneering
    My schools days were torture for me, I was badly bullied and beat up everyday in high school as people found me different, even the teachers were rude to me and didn't understand the difficulties I was facing. It turned out I was autistic and was only diagnosed after leaving highschool and was diagnosed with having significant autistic traits when I was 19/20.

    I was also forced to follow a group of lads home which was miles away from my own home who threatened me if I didn't go with them. forcing me to eat horse manure, and do sexual stuff to them. I actually thought they were going to kill me at one point. I also didn't get support at home as I lived with my mum and she left the house to move in with her boyfriend. So would come home to an empty cold house as the heating and electric went out, and was forced to live of cold pot noodles. I would cut myself as a teen as it was my only release and even tried killing myself a few times. I was kicked out of school at age 14 as my behavior became a concern, as I started hallucinating and becoming unwell. I left school without any qualifications and moved in with my step dad who I still live with to this day.

    It took me years to be able to talk about this, as I would just blank out my teen years, but life was hell when I was younger, and is probabley the main reasons I have mental health difficulities to this day. (Schizophrenia)
  • daz2
    daz2 Community member, CP Network, Scope Member Posts: 112 Pioneering
    edited November 2021
    My 18th birthday coinsided with a school trip to Russia, showing my age as it was still USSR.When we were in what was still Leningrad I tried some 98% proof Siberian vodka. Bad idea as I lost the feeling in my throat for 2 hours. Teachers almost took me to a hospital. It was just before the collapse of communism. The economy was collapsing. I gave a waiter in the hotel a fiver for looking after my wallet when I left it in the restaurant. It was equal to three months pay. 
  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 46,788 Disability Gamechanger
    @rubin16 that must of been awful for you to go through all that.

    @daz2 the good old USSR. what a school trip tho. We only got to go local. 
  • JustPete
    JustPete Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 303 Pioneering
    @rubin16 I'm just checking you are ok and whether you needed/wanted any support?
    I am a Scope Community Volunteer Adviser with knowledge of "life"!  Lived experience including employing personal assistants, being gay, sport & leisure inclusion & participation, mental health issues.  

    What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse.  'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”
  • Libby_Alumni
    Libby_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 1,251 Pioneering
    @rubin16 thank you for sharing your story with us and I'm really sorry you had to experience that during your schooling years. It must have been extremely challenging and you should be proud of yourself that you can tell your story after so many years. Was the bullying at school reported and dealt with appropriately? If not, we can help you to report these incidents. 

    Are you currently accessing support for your mental health via your GP etc.? These websites might be helpful for you to learn more about your mental health and what can be done to best support it; 

    1) Useful contacts - self-harm | Mind, the mental health charity - help for mental health problems 
    2) Suicide (supportline.org.uk)
    3) Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen
    4) Free, 24/7 mental health text support in the UK | Shout 85258 (giveusashout.org)

    If you could keep an eye out for an email from us, that would be great. If there's anything else that we can do in the meantime, please let us know, as we are here to help and support you :)

    Libby

    Online Community Information Coordinator
    Scope

    Concerned about another member's safety or wellbeing? Flag your concerns with us.

    Did we do a good job at answering your queries or concerns? If so, complete our feedback form now. 
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    edited November 2021
    Good to see there is some support here @rubin16 I read your post and am sorry to hear what you went through but didn’t really know how to respond, so just want to say I’m glad to see there are people here looking out for you

    I was bullied at school too so want to say I know how you feel but wasn’t bullied to that extent so probably don’t. All I can say is I find it helps to put the past behind me and focus on the future but I respect the fact that that may be harder with what you went through. If I was in that position I’d probably find it hard to put it behind me and would be exploring the legal options and prosecution etc. but I guess that won’t take away what happened so only you know what’s best for you in that respect.
  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    @daz2 great stories, thank you
  • rubin16
    rubin16 Community member Posts: 348 Pioneering
    Hi thanks for everyones replies and conerns,

    I'm okay nowadays although I do have flashbacks and nightmares about what happened when I was a teen, and it has taken me years to be able to talk about my experiences. I never reported it at the time as I never really was able to talk about it and struggle to talk about it, also I didn't know the guys who did it to me as they were just strangers from school who I didn't know personally so couldn't report it. I just want to be able to help others who have gone through similar experiences.

    Thanks again for your concerns but I'm ready to try put the past behind me and try look forward to the future.
  • JustPete
    JustPete Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 303 Pioneering
    @rubin16 I  really admire your strength of character and positive attitude.  We could all do with a bit of what you have.

    Thanks for sharing your difficult past and present; it helps others speak up. It sounds like you have support, but we as a community are also here!

    Take care,
    Pete
    I am a Scope Community Volunteer Adviser with knowledge of "life"!  Lived experience including employing personal assistants, being gay, sport & leisure inclusion & participation, mental health issues.  

    What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse.  'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”

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