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If school days were like soap opera episodes (such as the final minute of an average Joan Ferguson-era Prisoner: Cell Block H episode), then "Fight Arranger" would almost certainly be frequently listed in the credits at the end of the episode, especially in inner-city (later the unpopular unitary authority) areas. Some kids at school would do in the classroom what Frank Bruno or Mike Tyson would never dream of doing inside a boxing ring. If one wasn't of the stereotype, then was called a "wimp" for being well-behaved and obeying school rules - one almost could not win the system just because it was wrong. And the bigwigs had accused me of school refusal for much of Year 10 and most of Year 11? If you can't stand the heat...
Two "chalk and cheese" kids in my class were often like that - I don't remember what originally triggered it off, but they looked as if they were practicing martial arts on each other in the middle of the lesson, one of them who wore spectacles had his glasses flying off as he positioned himself onto his opponent. It happened on Friday afternoon, and it was so fascinating to see the Art teacher (because it was an Art lesson, do you see?) trying to separate them at arms length as if he was a boxing referee, not his sort of job expectancy, but it was more suited to a male PE teacher a la the "Gripper suspended" episode of Grange Hill in 1983 (series 6 episode 12). The Art specialist separated them but they came together again just like aluminum does to magnets. After separating them again, he made them stand outside the room, and they had a go at each other again.
It also happened in our English room as well, but the teacher had done a bunk or probably never turned up at all. I am not condoning it one moment - not then and not now either. I am surprised that schools don't have security guards just like other private, (but open to the public) venues, even though teaching staff seem to take the security guard role when on duty. The Ridings School in the 1990s spring to mind. On "neutral ground" outside the school one Thursday after the bell went, there was a fight which was "unofficially" advertised on the school grapevine, and was on open space just around the corner out of sight and school premises. About 30 kids cheered on who wanted them to win, almost in public view - I don't what passers by thought of it if they had seen it at the time, and whether anyone had called the authorities as a result. I suppose that it was neutral ground so that the school itself couldn't do much about it.
And I ended up briefly limping as a result of a fight as well - no, I didn't take part in the fight myself, but I was walking along the corridor to the next lesson when two kids were fighting there and then. They had spilled over to my direction as they were fighting, I didn't see them properly and they had knocked me to the ground just like a bowling ball would do to skittles in a bowling alley, and I was limping for the rest of the day and found it too painful to walk, and the forum tutor gave me a lift home in the car. Now, one could argue that I should have looked where was I was going, but on the other hand, it was obviously that those two shouldn't have been fighting in the first place, and so it was completely avoidable. I booked an appointment to see the GP the following day just to be on the safe side. On a tangent, I was pushed down some stairs as well which has similar comparisons - History was upstairs, and PSE was downstairs, and PSE followed History that Monday morning - if only both classrooms were on the same floor...
I think you know what I am going to ask you: did you ever witness and observe major fights at school, whether it was in the classroom, playground, the stairs or elsewhere connected to the school itself? And also, did you ever take part in a fight yourself? Probably time to come clean after all those years, I suppose. I assume that a lot of professional boxers and wrestlers behaved like this during their school days, getting into minor scraps and fights, probably inspiring their future career. It can be tough in school, especially in the areas I grew up with, and survival is paramount. But the again, is taking part just as bad as either winning or losing?
It just proves that the wrong type of learning was received at school back then.
Two "chalk and cheese" kids in my class were often like that - I don't remember what originally triggered it off, but they looked as if they were practicing martial arts on each other in the middle of the lesson, one of them who wore spectacles had his glasses flying off as he positioned himself onto his opponent. It happened on Friday afternoon, and it was so fascinating to see the Art teacher (because it was an Art lesson, do you see?) trying to separate them at arms length as if he was a boxing referee, not his sort of job expectancy, but it was more suited to a male PE teacher a la the "Gripper suspended" episode of Grange Hill in 1983 (series 6 episode 12). The Art specialist separated them but they came together again just like aluminum does to magnets. After separating them again, he made them stand outside the room, and they had a go at each other again.
It also happened in our English room as well, but the teacher had done a bunk or probably never turned up at all. I am not condoning it one moment - not then and not now either. I am surprised that schools don't have security guards just like other private, (but open to the public) venues, even though teaching staff seem to take the security guard role when on duty. The Ridings School in the 1990s spring to mind. On "neutral ground" outside the school one Thursday after the bell went, there was a fight which was "unofficially" advertised on the school grapevine, and was on open space just around the corner out of sight and school premises. About 30 kids cheered on who wanted them to win, almost in public view - I don't what passers by thought of it if they had seen it at the time, and whether anyone had called the authorities as a result. I suppose that it was neutral ground so that the school itself couldn't do much about it.
And I ended up briefly limping as a result of a fight as well - no, I didn't take part in the fight myself, but I was walking along the corridor to the next lesson when two kids were fighting there and then. They had spilled over to my direction as they were fighting, I didn't see them properly and they had knocked me to the ground just like a bowling ball would do to skittles in a bowling alley, and I was limping for the rest of the day and found it too painful to walk, and the forum tutor gave me a lift home in the car. Now, one could argue that I should have looked where was I was going, but on the other hand, it was obviously that those two shouldn't have been fighting in the first place, and so it was completely avoidable. I booked an appointment to see the GP the following day just to be on the safe side. On a tangent, I was pushed down some stairs as well which has similar comparisons - History was upstairs, and PSE was downstairs, and PSE followed History that Monday morning - if only both classrooms were on the same floor...
I think you know what I am going to ask you: did you ever witness and observe major fights at school, whether it was in the classroom, playground, the stairs or elsewhere connected to the school itself? And also, did you ever take part in a fight yourself? Probably time to come clean after all those years, I suppose. I assume that a lot of professional boxers and wrestlers behaved like this during their school days, getting into minor scraps and fights, probably inspiring their future career. It can be tough in school, especially in the areas I grew up with, and survival is paramount. But the again, is taking part just as bad as either winning or losing?
It just proves that the wrong type of learning was received at school back then.
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