Miss Smalley (English)


Miss Smalley,similar to Joan Rutherford, Miss Marple 

Miss Smalley was Head of English during my time at Tulketh. She had been at the school since its inception in 1964. Originally, she had taught at Roebuck Street County Primary and joined fellow teachers from the school Mr. Griffiths and Mr. Smith when Tulketh opened.  She always reminded me of Agatha Christie’s, Miss. Marple character played in the films by Joan Rutherford.

Legend has it Miss Smalley met Elton John on a cruise to the USA. Miss Smalley taught me English in the Second year in the form 2O. I found her okay.  One of favourite subjects to talk about was the Beatles and the meaning of their lyrics. This sometimes broke up the monotony of a Jane Eyre book we might be studying. I got the feeling that sometimes Miss Smalley maybe was counting down the days to retirement in 1980 which sometimes she would mention.

In the second year we had to do a sponsored walk around the perimeter of the school and its fields for children in homes charity. Of course, we all had been sponsored for various amounts by family and friends in the weeks prior to the walk. On the day of the walk, it was extremely hot after lunch when we started the laps of the school and its fields, I was going to do ten laps like the rest of us on that day. This was to start okay until after a few laps when it begun to tell on you after your lunch and you were getting cramps and needed a drink of water. Some of us had bottles of pop but some of us went on without any liquid apart from the cups of water handed out at the front of the school by prefects.

After about six rounds of the course, I was beginning to flag. After all it was a fair old route, especially on a hot day. I had my card marked by the ever-efficient Mr. Yates, (Metalwork), as I passed the school entrance for the sixth time.  I walked past the Metalwork block, and I noticed Miss Smalley was on patrol at the side exit to the school with her mustard Austin Rover parked up in front of the gates. There was pupils, Piers Lane Paul Sapsford, Chris Sutton, and I have course went over wearily to see why they were sat in the car. It had looked like they had taken refuge in the back of Miss. Smalley’s car to avoid doing anymore walking. Miss. Smalley had given them refreshments and they were talking. At that time, I was good friends with Paul and Chris and Miss. Smalley taught me English, Paul, persuaded Miss Smalley to let me shelter from mid- afternoon heat in the front seat. So, we sat there talking with Miss. Smalley about her love of William Shakespeare, The Beatles and eating her copious supplies of Uncle Joes Mint balls and bottles of Barr’s cream soda until about 3pm when the walk ended. We all traipsed back to the reception to get our cards marked by Mr. Yates. I managed to raise about £5.50 for the charity I felt a bit guilty not achieving the 10 laps but did at least raise some money.

Miss Smalley left Tulketh in 1980 to have a well earned retirement no doubt.

  

 

  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mr. Yates (Metalwork, Woodwork, Technical Drawing)

Image
Mr. Yates was mainly a Metalwork/Woodwork teacher who would also teach Technical Drawing. He was Head of the department of craft subjects and had been at Tulketh since its inception in 1964. A very smart man with slick back grey hair, thick rimmed glasses, and you could generally heard him before you saw him. He was the bad cop to Mr. Lewis, (Woodwork) who was the good cop. He had a couple of nicknames from the pupils which were, penguin and yakum In the second year the boys studied Metalwork with Mr. Yates one week and Woodwork with Mr. Lewis the next week., while the girls did Domestic Science. The Metalwork and Woodwork rooms where situated next to canteen. They were both full of workbenches, machinery and various tools. They give the impression of workshops you would come across in industry.  Our task as Second year novices were  to make a key ring. Mr. Yates had his hands full teaching around 20 lads with different practical abilities. I manage to finish mine with the h...
Read more

Mr. Birkett= Music and Commerce

Mr. Birkett taught Music at Tulketh and was part of  Mr. Rees’s Music department.   A middle-aged man who was involved with a local church in Eldon Street near where my family and  I lived if I remember rightly.  He resided in room 9 which was next to the main dining room. And sometimes doubled up as a extra dining room as the school’s intake got bigger. He used to teach Humanities and Commerce as well only girls at the school would take Commerce as an option in the final two years.  Sometimes If you had a lesson before lunch you could hear meals being prepared or after lunch in the afternoon the cleaning up of the lunchtime meals in the canteen. Sometimes you could hear the distant Radio One tunes played by Tony Blackburn or Paul Burnette and the mainly female workforce singing along that was not too bad. Mr. Birkett decided to put together a choir mainly of girls like Jill Brown, Ginette Botham, Beverly Hall,  Hilary Turner and Allyson Swarbrick with a ...
Read more

Mr. Smith (Physical Education, Maths)

Image
  Mr. Smith, otherwise known as PE. Smith due to there being two Mr. Smiths, at Tulketh. The other one taught Geography and the form 2M. His motto was, "We are here to educate your body as well as your minds." Mr. Smith came to Tulketh at the beginning of 1976. His appointment was slightly overdue according to the Head Mr. Jones at the time. He was Head of the Physical Education department which comprised of another male teacher and two female teachers. I would have said he was early middle aged with a distinctive short hairstyle and quite stocky. He soon required the nickname of, (Bulldog Smith) or (Jockstrap Smith) from the kids. I don’t know where or why these nicknames were given to him, but he didn’t get off to a good start as I recall, he had a brusque, bull in a china shop manner about him and with an accent which appeared to be from the London area which didn’t endear him to the kids or staff a-like. I remember one Friday afternoon in the hallway entrance he had an ...
Read more