Smoking teachers

[Pussywillow]

Re: Smoking teachers

Has anybody encountered a headmaster who smoked in his office? It was quite commonplace in public schools well into the 1980s and many of them would smoke in front of parents, especially if they smoked cigars because they thought it was classy.

Oh yes ! My Father ! See my thread in the Misc Memories forum.

[Richard1978]

Re: Smoking teachers

Even though hardly any of my family smoked I used to know a lot of the brands, thanks to the ads in The Observer magazine having lots of ads for them & the machines in pubs, not to mention all the Grand Prix teams sponsored by them.

[Arran]

Re: Smoking teachers

My mother might be completely wrong here but she always felt that many headmasters of public schools were soft on smoking because Winston Churchill used to smoke cigars.

Most public schools - even in the 1990s - would allow 16 year olds to smoke on their grounds. The term 'legal smoker' was commonplace in public schools amongst Y11 students. In some public schools the headmaster would take 6th form students to the pub on their 18th birthday.

[darren]

Re: Smoking teachers

Yes in my schools you could smell the smoke in their offices.

I often had teachers that smoked in the classroom.
One i remember had a pipe mr johnston i think his name was.
Can you imagine what the office where they all sit at dinner break must have been like.

has anybody encountered a headmaster who smoked in his office? It was quite commonplace in public schools well into the 1980s and many of them would smoke in front of parents, especially if they smoked cigars because they thought it was classy.

[Zincubus]

Re: Smoking teachers

Nowt wrong with smoking

Mmmmmm not strictly true ....

[Mulletino]

Re: Smoking teachers

TBH because my parents smoked in the home throughout my childhood in the 70s I couldn't really smell smoke on people but the Teacher's Room always smelled of smoke, although I do recall "teacher's breath" which was always a mix of ciggies and coffee.

[DemonEyeX]

Re: Smoking teachers

It seems amazing now, but back in the late 80s, on the last day of term, from what I remember.
About 30 odd kids were squeezed into the staff room, with all the teachers chain smoking.
For a special treat, we were allowed to watch a film on the gigantic TV & video setup.
Surrounded by a thick mist of tar & nicotine we viewed Stallone's First Blood.
We were about 9 or 10 at the time !
Highly doubtful that could happen these days.

[George 1978]

Re: Smoking teachers

My class spied a student teacher having a packet of Silk Cut sitting just inside her open handbag. No doubt that she would have said, upon being questioned, that she had confiscated the article from a Year 11 class. I would have put her in the same ballpark as the science teacher who would used to go to the pub at lunchtimes, next door but two from the aforementioned school.

[George 1978]

Re: Smoking teachers

Also, it never seemed to be PE teachers that smoked for all the obvious reasons - no, they were promoting health and fitness, and so you would never see them take up the habit.

[Twocky61]

Re: Smoking teachers

If our teachers smoked we were unaware of it

[Silver Bear]

Re: Smoking teachers

The aroma of pipe tobacco is one of my strongest olfactory memories of school. Many of the older masters (especially the English masters) smoked pipes - indeed appeared to be addicted to them.

[George 1978]

Re: Smoking teachers

I used to think that it was double standards when school rules used to prevent pupils from doing various things, yet the teachers did the same thing in the sanctuary of the staff room, even if they were old enough to do such a thing - "don't do what I wouldn't do" indeed. How many schools actually have teaching staff wearing uniform?

Cf Grange Hill series 9 - staff room smoking, and also the very first episode of Please Sir! - how can they "teach" pupils right and wrong when they flaunt the rules themselves?

[tex]

Re: Smoking teachers

I used to think that it was double standards when school rules used to prevent pupils from doing various things, yet the teachers did the same thing in the sanctuary of the staff room, even if they were old enough to do such a thing - "don't do what I wouldn't do" indeed. How many schools actually have teaching staff wearing uniform?

Cf Grange Hill series 9 - staff room smoking, and also the very first episode of Please Sir! - how can they "teach" pupils right and wrong when they flaunt the rules themselves?

Rules?...Pah!!

[Moonraker]

Re: Smoking teachers

In the 70s our Woodwork teacher use to smoke a cigar in class (yes, Wood). The technician use to often come in and ask him to 'put that light out!'

[George 1978]

Re: Smoking teachers

In the 70s our Woodwork teacher use to smoke a cigar in class (yes, Wood). The technician use to often come in and ask him to 'put that light out!'

They were probably Woodbines for obvious reasons.