useless lessons from your youth

I used to be good at games - until us naughty ones dragged a bench into the middle of an enormous Rhododendron bush and hid in there smoking for the whole of the games lesson!

I attended a proper Scottish academy - grammar school equivalent post 11 plus.
We had French and Latin or French and German but no domestic science at all.
Next class had secretarial studies and next had cookery and needlework.
Loathed hockey but happy in the gym!

I dislike sport of any kind, was never chosen to be in any team and hid in the toilets in my thick navy knickers ( with pocket for that ironed hanky) til it was all over.
jalima

We had to make an apron (and ghastly matching cap) and embroider our names on both. Only then were we allowed in the domestic science kitchens. Looking back, our domestic science lessons were actually very good. We learnt to bake, make bread, Christmas cakes, pies and stews; basic cookery skills that have lasted me a life time. On the last term, we were allowed into the domestic science flat where we learnt to launder, iron and make a bed with "proper corners and turn down". Now that was a waste of time!

I hated games lessons, all forms including hockey and gym. The hockey pitch always seemed to be freezing and the gym had a funny smell to it - probably body odour. I didn't mind tennis though. I suppose, looking back, it was excellent excercise but I didn't appreciate it at the time.

à bientôt silverlining

I liked sports - netball, tennis, rounders - anything but hockey!

Going back to the OP, I wonder whether so much competitive sport was ‘useful’. Two afternoons a week. Netball, hockey, tennis, cricket.... Oh the agony of not being picked for anyone’s team. What was that supposed to teach? Fortitude I suppose. Domestic science was only for a year if I remember. Never finished smocking my gingham apron but no one much minded. Nothing compared to being no good at ‘games’,
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I am with you sparkly being secondary girls we clearly couldn’t manage a large pillowcase but could be trusted with a hanky. And I too can’t imagine how it took a double lesson for us to learn to iron them.
That was after many needlework lessons required to make the apron and the cap, oh the joy of 60’s education.
In science we spent weeks on the amoeba, which has proven of no use whatsoever,

No Latin or Greek for us but we did French, which though only for 3 years has been useful latterly whilst On our travels.
Au Revoir mes Amis, is there an s at the end? Je ne sais pas.
Well it was only 3 years.

MillieBear - isn't that a little odd? What was the point, were you supposed to make the other half at home?!

We made halves in sewing class. Half a babies frock, half a curtain etc.

I think only the diligent sort of girls were allowed in the school flat, and I always wanted to go in there. It was like a secret, grown up world.

I also had to make an apron before being let loose on the cookery side of domestic science. As to the hockey lessons, I broke my wrist, tripping over my hockey stick. (Never the sporty one, that put the tin lid on it.)

We had to make and embroider an apron in the first year at grammar school and then wear said apron for cookery lessons from the following year. We did learn 'order of washing up' but no ironing. We also had a 'flat' as described by MissAdventure - I never went into it either, I think it must have been for girls who took domestic science at a higher level. Actually I wish someone had taught me to iron - my mother didn't know the meaning of the word - all our bedding was the new brushed nylon variety from Brentford Nylons - horrible ?. We did Latin too, never came in useful in my life but it's supposed to be good for you...
In fact I always joked that the only useful thing I learnt at grammar school was in physics and that was how to wire a plug - now even that skill is redundant ?

We, too, had to make and bind an apron and cap for use in our domestic science lessons. I think that was the first thing we did in needlework lessons, the entire five years of which of which were entirely wasted on me, as was anything preceded by the word ‘domestic’!

I found hockey lessons useless - and boring.

Another grammar school girl here who did domestic science and Latin, both run by equally dotty teachers.
Taught to starch mens collars, press sheets and pillow cases
And clean the grate and light the fire ( the school owned several houses next to the school where unmarried teachers lived.)A different world.

We had a 'flat' between the two domestic science classes.
It had a washing machine, ironing board, etc in it, along with dusters, and cleaning materials.
I can't remember ever being allowed in there though.

I went to an all girls convent school..we did Cookery AND Latin ..though I found the cookery was much more use in everyday life .We had a lot of boarders who had servants at home but they still got cookery lessons too .

Grammar schools were obviously more advanced than us Secondary Modern girls, we were told to bring in a clean white handkerchief to iron. How the teacher stretched that double domestic science period out for 90 minutes I have no idea.
However, I learned how to dissect a sheeps eye with a couple of deft strokes and a scalpel. A basic skill I have never forgotten but happily, never since needed to put into practice. However, should I choose to become a Sous chef in Egypt that knowledge would be very useful.

I had to put blue bias binding all round the edges of an apron before I was allowed to learn to cook anything at my grammar school. I have never bias binded anything since.

We did 'domestic science' in the first year - making a pinny, sewing a ghastly nightdress by hand and learning how to do scrambled eggs.
I've forgotten everything else!

In fact, I made a much nicer and wearable skirt in primary school when I was about 9.

Then we did Latin (much better and in fact more useful).

My Dad used to get annoyed that us girls had cookery lessons, his argument being that if you had a recipe book and could read, then you could cook.
I've tried telling that to DH

Gosh. We didn't have any sort of domestic education whatsoever. I think it was assumed that we'd all have staff!
We did have Latin and Greek. Arguably not that useful these days.

My Dad used to get annoyed that us girls had cookery lessons, his argument being that if you had a recipe book and could read, then you could cook.

It is extraordinary that grammar school girls were taught to iron pillowcases!