Mrs. Sawyer (Spanish)

Mrs. Sawyer- Looks like, Carol Decker, T Pau

Mrs. Sawyer arrived at Tulketh in September 1977 to teach Spanish. A red-haired Liverpudlian lady in her late twenties, who dressed in a formal way generally but sometimes was a little bohemian in style. For two years she was my registration teacher before I went into the final year.

She had replaced Mr. Watt, who had been the previous Spanish teacher for about five years and had gone on to teach at a Technical college in the Midlands I believe. Spanish as subject was only taught from the third year onwards and to the top 4 forms and in the final two years was only available at O level. Surprisingly I liked Spanish as a language subject. I didn't do to bad in the exam as I recall. In the third year we also did a odd subject called European studies with Mrs. Harwood which in all seriousness didn't help any of us. and usually descended into chaos. Remember this was the 1970's and there were some lateral thinkers in education who were trying to educate kids  who would undoubtedly ended up working in factories, shops or building sites rather than going into white collar jobs like the O-level kids. 

I first come across Mrs. Sawyer, in my third year firstly as my registration teacher and then as a Spanish teacher in room 31 which is next to the staffroom and opposite the boys’ and girls’ cloakroom/toilets. 

 In registration especially in the morning she sometimes could be late. This was due to her travelling from Merseyside. I believe she originated from Kirkby. In the informal registration classes, she would sometimes open-up a little about her love of Everton F.C and her time at Leeds University and the student protests she would go on with her fellow students. She did mention that her husband was from Russia, and us kids wondered with a somewhat fevered imagination, if she was a spy for then Communist State of the Soviet Union. You must remember this was at the time of the Cold War, between the West and the Soviets. I remember at a parents evening my mum dropped me in it about my manipulation of the school report grades which we used to be sent home with twice a year. Following morning I was kept behind after registration and quizzed by Mrs. Sawyer about the crime. Fortunately I managed to talk myself out of a visit to Mr. Jones by gilding the lily about my punishment at home which in reality was that I was grounded for a week from going on the North End. Rather than Dickensian punishment that I told Mrs Sawyer, I had received.  

I remember one day she went out of the classroom because there was a problem in the girl’s toilets opposite. Apparently, a girl had an accident of a personal nature.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Sawyer fainted! Of course we started to get restless in the class which alerted the teachers who were in the staffroom on a free periods. Mr. Murray arrived in our class to ask where Mrs. Sawyer was?  He along with a concerned Mrs. Ackers headed to the girl’s toilets.

Mrs. Ackers lead the girl away to her office to be later collected by her parents I believe. Mrs. Sawyer with the help of Mr. Murray to the staffroom for a strong of cup of tea and sympathy.   We spent the rest of the Spanish lesson quietly reading our textbooks with the Head of Languages Mr. Smalley watching over us.

Mrs Sawyer left Tulketh in 1980 ,I believe.