The Happiest Days of Your Life - Or Were They?

I loved school, I went to a girls selective grammar school in London. It only had 300 pupils, including the 6th form. I think I enjoyed the interesting lessons. The mistresses were mostly Oxbridge blue stockings who were very kind and patient. I can’t think of any examples of bullying, everyone seemed to get on. I was a prefect and we had our own prefects room, every Friday we’d get Tine Out and plan which band we were going to see on Saturday.

srn63

I detested school from my first day to my last. Leaving day was the happiest day of my life. I started work and loved it, my life had begun.

Same here!

And here.
I spent my first year at school spending playtimes holding the teachers' hand, crying for my mum

My divorced parents stuck me in a boarding school at age 10 - I thought I would hate it but loved every minute.

When I turned 78, I learned that my Eng. Lit. teacher was not only very much alive still but actively taking part in school events - that made me feel very 'connected', and nostalgic.

Dickens - that’s wonderful !

Idyllic primary school, really a "governess class" for the daughters of masters at a boys public school in the country. I was an extra to make up the numbers, about a dozen aged from 5 to 11. Our teacher taught us everything and we had PE with the boys' Sarge. School days were short and we just roamed around the woods and fields and streams. That is what I remember most
Then it was boarding school, which I hated after the freedom. I did okay academically but more importantly made some lifelong friends.

I hated secondary modern school until the last year. I was bullied in the second and third year. By the time I got to the fourth year I had rebelled and stood up to the bully. My first boyfriend while I was in the fourth year played football for our local team. He went to another school as he was a year older than me. Instant street cred where the lads were because he was a top goal scorer. I loved English language and art but hated maths.

Yes, maths were my bete noir eventually.... I talked my way through class in the end.
Well, it was OK until algebra.

So OK as in, statistics (quite interesting as sociological) and what `I called "market garden questions" (so many pounds of tomatoes were taken to market on a certain day, how many over 6 months or whatever had a bit of an undemanding challenge)

but algebra.

but you see, they were all nice teachers - maths teacher knew very well the level of interest in his classes and concentrated on the ones who were interested, like my best friend.

I mean, what was the point, I thought. X = (c-m) squared. ????

somehow I didn't get it that the symbols represented shapes or quantities and defined their relationships.

Or cared 🙄

My school days were very happy. Not so much the educational side, though I achieved good grades, but the social side being alongside different types of people and forging good friendships. Especially with the occasionally naughty ones.
I was good at sport, and popular enough to be chosen as Head Girl by both my peers and the teachers. That job taught me resilience and empathy, though I had to reluctantly give up time some of my precious break times to contribute to the school!
All in all, a positive experience and good fun.
When I left there was no question but to go to university, only three girls from the sixth form went and the school was pushy in that direction. Given my time again I would not have followed that advice.

My best subjects were English and hockey.

Hated maths, physics, needlework, gave up the last two at the earliest opportunity and wished I could have ditched maths as well, for all the good it did me.

I left after GCE’s to work in a local bank,( despite hating maths, my basic arithmetic was good). Most of my friends stayed on for sixth form.

Never regretted it, leaving then. Most of my friends ended up doing jobs they could have done at 16, and I was earning and feeling grown up, buying my own clothes, not wearing school uniform….

I didn’t like school much, either junior or my bog standard secondary modern, though I have to say that the teachers were very dedicated and I remember many of them, and our headmaster, whom we all adored, fondly. I was always top in English and History, always bottom in Maths and Needlework. Coasted at everything else.

When I left I and a few others did an extra year at a newly built FE college and enjoyed the change of ethos enormously. This was all marking time, though, for me until I could join the Army. That is when my life really took the shape I wanted it to take. Responsibility, confidence, esprit de corps. I had finally found something I was good at and I revelled in it. It stood me in good stead for most of my life going forward.

I loved the majority of my school years.

Was bullied for a while at my all girls grammar school, but things settled down.

I was a prefect…

Made a great friend when I was six and she started in my primary. We were both bright and naughty. One teacher sat us together and we created bedlam. Our mother's asked for us to be separated. We started misbehaving in the lunch room and got thrown out to sit in the cold yard. The teacher who did that could not even remember my name when I met her years later. Friend left when she was 12 as parents moved. Often think about her 60 years later. Good times!

I was happy through infants and juniors but found school after 11 very difficult. I enjoyed history and English but a bullying maths teacher put paid to any hope of getting anywhere with that and the sciences.
Eventually I went to College for an office course and got going again. I passed some O levels which was all that was needed then and had some good jobs in swinging sixties London

Greenfinch

I loved school but wouldn’t say they were the happiest days of my life as I was quite shy then. I did go on to become a teacher which I also enjoyed .My favourite subjects were Latin and History (especially Ancient History). I was a bus prefect which meant I had to keep law and order on the school bus. It was not an arduous job as we were all girls and quite well behaved.
By far my happiest days were when my three children were all under five and we had the freedom to spend the day as we liked.

Oh, if I knew then what I know now………nuff said!

I loved my primary school. It was a small school with just 3 classrooms and 3 teachers and all the kids lived in the village. The teachers were all good and made learning fun.

I passed the 11+ and went to grammar school 14 miles away which I also loved. Only two of us passed and the other girl went to a boarding school so I was on my own but I soon seemed to fit in. I was very sporty and enjoyed hockey, swimming and tennis. We had some great teachers and most of the kids in my class were either council house kids like myself or lived in tied cottages. I can’t remember any bullying or nasty stuff so my schooldays were really good. I am still in touch with nearly all my friends either IRL or on Facebook.

Ooops! So sorry Greenfinch…….my comment wasn’t meant to be a quote on your comment! I apologise most sincerely!

No problem Astitchintime. I hadn’t even noticed it.😀

I went to boarding school aged 11. It was in Scotland. I loved it because I wasn't beaten at school or at home. There were only 6 of us, a far cry from 30+ We played sport for an hour 7 days a week and I loved every minute of it, although I wasn't a fan of cricket.

IO had passed my 11+ so that meant physics and chemistry so I missed sewing and cooking. The latter would have been useful, but one couldn't possibly waste one's brains. The nuns were lovely, they were the best days of my life.

I loved school. It was brilliant for academia, sport, drama , art all well catered for and a head teacher who set us all up with a great ethos for life. I have such fond memories of my time there. Was crying at least ing but as my guidance teacher told me...no need...you use the skills taught here n go on to enjoy university. And I did. But I'll never forget that school

First school - from age 7 to 14 - was awful, run on fear Second one, ages 15 to 16, was really very nice and I have fond memories.

I hated my girls high school, run by 3 awful spinsters. They didn't seem to see any potential in me, despite getting a lot of decent O levels and A levels. And later having a very successful career as a headteacher. I ran my school very differently. I think I would have more opportunities to shine in the current school system.

Oh what memories this has provoked…English Teachers Mrs Bailey at Juniors and Mrs Pavy at Secondary School amazing women, never forgotten.
I had a stammer and remember the first week, one day having to wait my turn to introduce myself to the class and I couldn’t speak - got a detention for that as no one sch/parents thought to tell my new secondary sch. And I hated reading aloud for the same reason. I got through being friendly and having great friends, still in touch with a handful now and I’m 66 this year.
My stammer isn’t bad now unless I’m stressed or worried but I managed jobs as Receptionist/Secretary/PA and speaking on the phone and over tannoys etc!
Plus I am a chatter box even now❤️
So barring that first week or so - very fond memories of School and growing up.
Ps My lovely Aunt Mae was a Teacher and she always said children were the cruelest people (to each other )…and sadly we know this to be true sometimes

When I was 8 my parents moved and I had to start at a new primary school, where I was relentlessly bullied for 4 years. The boys name-called and the girls ostracised me in that particularly cruel way girls do. I had no friends, needless to say. It has affected me badly my whole life, making me wary of strangers, and constantly expecting rejection. I then went to a girls' grammar school where I could start afresh, and I loved it. I was good at everything except PE and needlework, made friends and had some wonderful teachers. I don't know why my parents never did anything about the bullying I suffered. I'm not even sure they knew - I never talked about it. I think I thought I deserved it in some way. I suppose parents were less involved then than they are now.

Pretty much hated school. Wasn’t particularly bright and school reports always said ‘tries hard, talks too much, could do better. As far as I’m concerned these are the best days of my life, children grown up, grandchildren growing up (too quickly), retired and lucky enough to have good health and able to enjoy life.