Memories of my Schooldays
When I read the recent article by my friend and fellow Nottingham Blogger Ian Timothy on the Market Square Lions, I started to reminisce about earlier times and somehow ended with my schooldays. A lot of good teachers have left the profession due to new rulings that say that a child must learn something every fifteen minutes. Now anyone with children will know that this is ridiculous, children learnt at their own speed. you cannot force feed a child with knowledge, it is just not practical.
I was fortunate, I had teachers with flair and individuality, the two things that the current system makes no allowance for, I have a passion for History mainly due to one man. My teacher Mr Mac, I forget the rest of his name, we always knew him as Mac or Mr.Mac, he was a tall very military looking Scot, thinning hair, florid complexion and a neatly trimmed moustache. He looked like he might have been an R.S.M. in a Scots Regiment, we all thought he would be a strict disciplinarian, but were we in for a surprise.
He said I’m Mr.Mac… but you can call me Mac, then he turned to the blackboard and wrote 54B.C. Julius Caesar invaded Britain, we all looked and thought …erm ok, then to our amazement at the side of his statement Mac started to draw matchstick men Lowry style but fighting with spears and shields. He would write probably six statements at a time on the blackboard accompanied by the appropriate illustrations. After that first lesson he had us in the palm of his hand, we were entranced, history suddenly became everyone’s favourite lesson, because we had a teacher with flair.
Mr.Mac’s method of teaching although it gave results would be frowned upon nowadays, and that in itself is a criminal waste.
Nice very post. Strangely I had a teacher we nicknamed Mad Mac 😀
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Cheers Ian, we had another Mac which I may feature in a further article,
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This Mr. Mac sounds like a wonderful teacher.
I had a High School English teacher Mr. Dixon who used to draw funny illustrations to illustrate his points.
I was fortunate in having a lot of teachers in the school district where I grew up having flair and individuality.
I learned a lot from them.
That really is a colossally stupid ruling that someone made that children are to learn something new every fifteen minutes.
Whoever thought that one up must have one Hell of a drug addiction- smoking marijuana, ingesting opium and snorting crack cocaine all at once.
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Hi Dracul,
Naturally that colossally stupid person was a politician who had probably never set foot in a real classroom, but hey such is life, like I stated teachers are born not made.
Regards Malkie
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That’s very true.
My dad was a school teacher 👨🏫 and an excellent one at that.
His specialty was teaching both Science 🔬 and History.
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I love my History, but I’ll pass on the science, i’m glad you enjoyed my comments.
Regards Malkie
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Hello again,
Science was never my thing, but I loved history, blood and gore, heroes and treachery, nothing changes does it.
Regards Malkie
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Yes, I loved history, blood and gore, heroes and treachery as well.
As well as the escapades involving numerous kings and their mistresses.
-Christopher
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Am enjoying your site 😀
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Hello da-Al,
I am delighted that you are enjoying my efforts and I hope to continue to please.
Regards Malkie
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Mrs English was mine at Foxwood in Bramcote.
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that’s good to know!
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