The CBB :: View topic - Pam Slater

through

[^/[Print]\]

The CBB -> Ste Therese's House

#1: Pam Slater - complete Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:44 pm
—
Pam Slater took her freshly poured mug of coffee across the busy staff room to her normal seat and sank down, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Hard morning Pam?” asked Sue Masefield who was sitting next to her.
“Just the usual I suppose. There are times when it seems worse than other though,” replied Pam. “They seemed more woolly-headed than normal this morning, and I could have done without that with the HoD meeting today.”
“Never mind. You know you love it really. Wasn’t this what you left your last school for?”
“My own department? Yes, partly. Mostly I suppose. I was going nowhere, that’s for sure.”
“Weren’t you at the Chalet School?” asked Nora Breton from her other side. “I thought that place was supposed to be THE place to work!”
Pam smiled wryly. This moment was bound to have come, she thought to herself. It was well known that no one left the Chalet School once they had got a post there. Unless they left to get married.
“It is in a lot of ways,” she said thoughtfully. “They are very supportive, and the other mistresses are easy to get on with. Part of the trouble is that they have a rather unique way of teaching which is hard to get into unless you’re an Old Girl – which most of the staff seem to be unless they have been there since the year Dot! They have no problem as that’s al they’ve been used to.”
“Do you mean the emphasis on languages Pam? How can that affect you? You teach maths!”
Pam chuckled at this. “That’s all you know! Languages affect everything at that establishment. They are trilingual, you did know that?”
“Yes of course. But I assumed that meant extra lessons or something. I take it it’s more than that?”
“A lot more. I arrived during the War, and they only spoke English and French then, though they asked for a knowledge of German too. “
“What? For a maths teacher?” exclaimed Nora. “Why did you need languages?”
“Because I had to teach in them! In the beginning – my beginning I mean – we had two days a week speaking French. All day, in lessons and out of them. So although my text books were in English I had to conduct the lesson in French!”
“But what about the girls who didn’t know the language? How on earth did they cope?”
“If they asked a question in English we had to put it into French for them and make them repeat it till they said it more or less properly. Then we answered the question – in French – and translated it, to make sure they understood. It wasn’t too bad when all the form were new together. They were all struggling to learn anything, and I used to cheat of course. Get them to read the relevant bits in the book and ask what they didn’t know. The real trouble came if a girl arrived further up the school, when the rest of her form could manage OK with lessons in French. I had to set them off on something and then give private tuition in English to her. But even then it felt as though half the lesson was taken up with language coaching. Don’t get me wrong, the girls picked up the language pretty quickly, having to speak it in their spare time too or get a fine. And it did give them wonderful fluency in the language. Helped me too come to that. Unfortunately the Powers that Be didn’t leave it at that. When the War ended they started to talk of going back to Austria, where they’d started out. If they were going to do that, they needed to bring the German up to scratch. So they brought back German days. So now we had two days speaking French, and two days speaking German. Now my German was pretty basic. Like a lot of the girls I had trouble learning it, so having to teach in it was a nightmare. I managed of course, but I had to spend time increasing my own vocabulary to do it.”
“It doesn’t sound like much fun,” said Sue doubtfully. “But the school has such a fantastic reputation!”
“Yes it does, and it deserves it too. The standard of teaching is very high, especially in the Arts. One of the Joint Heads is a Science mistress and she makes sure that the sciences aren’t neglected, but the Arts are much stronger. And of course the languages thing gives the girls a huge advantage when they leave school. It really doesn’t take that long for them to be able to follow lessons – it just feels like it at the beginning of the year!
If it was only that, I’d have been all right. But there was a fad for calling each other by our surnames when I arrived. Naturally the staff that had been at school together didn’t do it, but I got called Slater most of the time. I gave as good as I got of course, and used theirs too, but it isn’t as matey as using Christian names. Funny that, I got so used to it that when I came here it seemed odd that everyone used their Christian names!
And then there was Joey Maynard. You’ll probably know her better by her maiden name of Bettany.”
“Josephine Bettany, the authoress?” asked Nora. “Was she something to do with the school then?”
“Something to do with the school? She was the first pupil, my dear! Her sister started it when Jo was about 12 I believe. By the time I left last term, Jo was married, with eight kids!”
“Eight!”
“Poor thing!”
“She doesn’t think so! She has triplet girls, all at the school now. Then there are three single boys, and she’s just had a set of twins. I don’t know how she copes! Or rather, how she’d cope without her live-in help, Anna! Anyway, she’s married to one of the Doctors at that big Sanatorium in Wales, and in many ways is a normal wife and mother. However, in many ways she’s never left the school. Can’t keep away from the place. She lived about three miles away when the school was in Armishire, and still managed to get up there, even with the petrol rationing. And when she arrived, everyone down tooled and welcomed her like a long-lost relative! I felt that she expected it, so I kept my head down and got on with my work as much as possible, but she has a carrying voice, and it was almost impossible. It didn’t endear me to her either!” Pam smiled a bit ruefully. “Maybe that’s one reason why they didn’t try very hard to keep me when I said I was leaving. I never was one of the ‘Joey Adoration Society’. She’s a nice enough woman, but had her own very strong ideas which didn’t always agree with mine, especially where the school was concerned. What really irritated me was her oft-repeated assertion that she would be a chalet School girl till she died. She meant it too – not an Old Girl, but a Chalet School Girl. There were times when I really felt like telling her to grow up and leave it behind her.”
“So what made you leave when you did?” asked Nora curiously.
“They were taking the school – the main part of it anyway – to Switzerland. They’d been going on about going back to the Alps ever since the War ended, but of course Austria is still out of the question, what with the Occupation Forces still being there, and Russia looking as if it wants to annexe it along with the rest of Eastern Europe. So Switzerland was the next best thing. There’s the Finishing Branch out there already, and Sir James Russell is opening a branch of his Sanatorium near it. The school’s always been linked with the San, ever since Madge Bettany married. So when suitable buildings came free about three miles from the new San the school leapt at it. I was tempted to go with them. My German had improved no end, and I love the Alps. But then two things happened. I heard of the post here, which gives me the promotion that just wasn’t there at the school. And Jack Maynard was made Head of the Swiss San. That in itself wasn’t the decider, but the news that they’d bought a house right next door to the school was! I knew that Jo would never be away from the place if she lived next door, so I ran!”

#2: Author: wheelchairprincess, Location: Oxfordshire, UK

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:50 pm
—
This is a wonderful look at an oft neglected character. Thank you, Pat. But are you sure it's finished?

#3: Author: aitchemelle, Location: West Sussex

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:11 pm
—
Thank you Pat! A really great perspective! I'm not convinced it's finished either Twisted Evil

#4: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 7:23 pm
—
Thanks, Pat. I think Pam has been remarkably restrained there, and that there is an opening for lots more. Please.

#5: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:23 pm
—
This is marvellous! Please let there be a few more reflections!

Thanks Pat

#6: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:42 pm
—
I was always surprised that there weren't more staff who had the same views as Miss Slater!

Thanks Pat.

#7: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:39 pm
—
Lovely to hear Pam's views of the school and Joey - she's certainly being very fair and not at all bitter

But perhaps she does feel a little incy wincy bitter Pat?????
Twisted Evil

#8: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 10:15 pm
—
Great perspective on things!

#9: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 10:44 pm
—
Pam Slater's a fascinating character, I'd love to hear more about her post-CS career - not hinting or anything ...

#10: Author: Cath V-P, Location: Newcastle NSW

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:46 pm
—
That was fun! Very Happy

Thank you Pat.

#11: Author: JustJen, Location: at a baseball game

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:55 am
—
Thanks for posting Pat.

#12: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:42 am
—
That was fascinating Pat, I liked the way that Pam really tried to be fair and objective about the school, giving credit where credit was due. Not sure the CS staff or Joey would extend the same courtesy to her!

#13: Author: Elle, Location: Peterborough

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 5:59 pm
—

Tara wrote:

Pam Slater's a fascinating character, I'd love to hear more about her post-CS career - not hinting or anything ...

*agrees with Tara*

Ruth B wrote:

I liked the way that Pam really tried to be fair and objective about the school, giving credit where credit was due. Not sure the CS staff or Joey would extend the same courtesy to her!

Would be interesting to see that.

*shoves extra plot bunnies in Pat's direction*

#14: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:22 pm
—
That's great Pat. I'd love to hear her reflections on events that happened during her time at the school.

#15: Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:23 pm
—
Great to see Pam's perspective on things. Thanks Very Happy

#16: Author: Woofter, Location: Location? What's a location?

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:14 pm
—
Nice to see Pam's point of view for a change. Thank you.

#17: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:24 pm
—
She was very objective about her experiences at the CS, wasn't she. I'm glad she's happy in her new position and that she has some friends there, too.

Thanks Pat.

#18: Author: arky72, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:31 pm
—
That was great Pat

*sends bunny food and hopes*

The CBB -> Ste Therese's House

output generated using printer-friendly topic mod. All times are GMT

Page 1 of 1