Laurence Tanner was a an underprivelged student at a primary school
in a small repectable town in 1963,
he didnt quite fit in to the posh neighbourhood
and teech didnt like him much in her class
one day he did something wrong.(again)
teech 35 something in boots/tweed skirt brigade
frogmarched him out of the classroom to stunned silence
today we are shocked by the return of frogmarching
but this was the frog march of all frog marches
not only was he hauled out of the classroom but he was
over the course of the next noisy 15 minutes step by step
yanked hauled dragged and pushed up a 4'wide narrow winding
50 step staircase to the Heads attic study as narrow as a Medieval
castle stairs.Yelling all the way shouting his head off with
screams that resonated round the whole school whilst the dedicated female
teech got him single handedly up the stairs all the way at last.
A door slammed and she came back down and resumed teaching the class.
Some ten minutes later Laurence Tanner reemerged holding out his burning
hand to anyone who would look.
Teech coldly ignored him.
Eventually he resumed his seat at the back of the class.
He had been severely hand strapped by the Male Headmaster on instructions
of the teacher.!

Yes the Victorian school building, rising high above the surrounding houses, with it’s high ceilings, huge windows and parquet flooring and the all familiar feature, the 4’ narrow winding staircase, hardly wide enough for the rather lager than life headmistress with her larger than life hands, to negotiate and squeeze up. And at the top, a small landing, with a lonesome,small wooden chair .

To the left, a solitary door, once opened revealed a room, home of the rather large headmistress, so huge, even she looked lost, within it’s presence. And behind it’s closed door, activities and chastisement with the implements it housed, took place, to the hands and bottoms of small children on many, numerous occasions. And the room at the top of the winding staircase muffled the sounds of the lectures in raised voice, the cries and sobs of those with now very sore bottoms and hands.

A short while ago I revisited this same establishment, there in all it’s glory, the same daunting staircase as before, with the exception, boarded by a small gate, with health and safety warning, advising do not enter. Very appropriate and apt I thought, albeit 45 years to late.

Then two days ago, I heard the staircase that many a Lawrence Tanner and ilk was dragged up, was going, to be demolished, along with the rest of the building. The last of the trilogy of schools I attended, with all their memories, all three reduced to rubble. But will this one, like one other, arise from the ashes and haunt yet a further generation.

K

Ketta, when you revisited this establishment did you suffer the chills up and down your spine or have a sudden attack of the Goosebumps?

I quite often pass my old primary school and everytime I look at it I think about all the injustices which took place within those walls.

It's a wonder they are demolishging the place. The Kennett (Liberal) Government of Victoria some years back now closed a lot of schools and sold them to developers who turned them into Yuppie apartments.

I could never bring myself to walk inside the school I mention above when the appartments were being sold off because I get the creeps just looking at the place. My wife was curious at the time and wanted to go in when we were thinking about an investment property but I couldn't go in.

She didn't understand why, suffice to say I liken it to walking into a house where someone has died, which is another thing I just can't manage to do.

You are quite brave to revisit a place which would hold so many memories of injustices.

I think the tread Bozo has started would stir memories in a lot of people. I think quite a lot of people would have memories of that particular teacher, that particular stair case and that particular office in the schools they attended as kids.

This brings back memories, the head used to lurk in the office at the top of the stairs.
I was terrified of ever going up those stairs and thankfully I never had to go up them.
I must admit to the occasional dream even now where I am back in school and the nightmare of those stairs is included.
It just shows how fear of the unknown can lurk in the brain for ever.

Mike

when you revisited this establishment did you suffer the chills up and down your spine or have a sudden attack of the Goosebumps

In short the answer is no, I never intend to ever go back, it was very eerie, to say the least

About eighteen months ago a group of ex pupils from primary, were contacted individually and asked if we would take part in on of those social experiment documentaries. The idea to compare life then with now, and views on our education etc

Ten of us excepted the quest to go back in years, all female apart from two , and none of us had seen each other for nearly 40+ years. First instructed, establish contact to each other by email, then phone, meeting up individually, then as a group. 18 plus months on, the group as a whole, still has to meet. Great bonds have formed, but we have made an agreed decision to pull out, due to one of the school’s ex pupil, known in the media, who tried to cash in, not one of the group.

Part of the agenda, to visit the school, we had free access to take photos and write up our thoughts and memories as individuals. Shortly after the subject of discipline came up. The lads were quite at ease to talk about corporal punishment they received. Of the girls only three of the eight, could talk openly about it, even on a one to one. We knew the others had witnessed things in the classroom/playground, I also remember a couple of them getting smacked at school, and on occasions at home, but it was as if they came from at a different school, and talked around the topic, but admitted they felt uncomfortable being in the school, and had been terrifed of those stairs as a child, although some had never been up.

Of those that spoke out, one was at boarding school with me for two years, and had since become a teacher, as part of her training, had to attend courses at our old primary school, she told me how she became physically sick and shaking each time she had to return. For this purpose she declined to revisit the school. She also emailed me and saying she thought it very life assuring that someone else recalled what went on.

The other girl mentioned her grandmother on one occasion complained to the head after she was dragged into her office and hit several times with a ruler,and on another occassion spanked in private. The other females chose not to be drawn into deep conversation on the topic or remember.

It also opened up part of the mystery why the majority of girls found/ find it embarrassing and difficult to talk about CP. I'd say for the majority it started in Primary school, in private at the top of those stairs, where the seed was planted, and falls into two categories denial or acceptance. Maybe the topic of a separate thread one day.

K