to wonder what you were most often in trouble for at school?

[chaletdays]

We were just talking about this at work this morning.

For me it was not paying attention, and being unpunctual.

I was a daydreamy, away with the fairies kind of child

I was usually the smartarse who finished the written work within about 5 minutes and then spent the next 25 distracting everyone around me as I couldn't quite believe they hadn't finished yet.

I was also on for writing scurrilous and satirical rhymes about the teaching staff in the back of my workbooks.

This nearly got me excluded when during one deathly dull double History, I ripped out my latest effort, which was a shockingly bitchy diatribe in iambic pentameter about the History teacher. It got passed around the class with people giggling and snorting, until it got back round to the front of them room. Of course said teacher then spotted it and snatched it up and cycled through several facial colours and expressions. At this point I began to feel a bit uneasy as I remembered several choice phrases - "boring bitch" being about the mildest.

It was only on being called to the head of house's office later that day that I realised I'd only gone and signed my fucking name on the thing...

I was made to write an apology letter but it was thought best if I just worked from the book for the remainder of the term and didn't attend any more history lessons...

Wearing the wrong shoes. Red was apparently not part of the uniform. My besties had royal blue and purple. We tried to argue that they were ok because they were sensible flat lace-ups (Ravel bowling shoes - anyone remember them?)

Dropping pencils out of the window then climbing out of the window to retrieve them

Not doing homework, being a bit of a joker. All my reports say Singing would go far if she applied herself. What used to annoy them the most was I would come first in the class in my end of year exams, for 3 year in a row I was first in biology and twice for chemistry. The RE teacher hated me after he went out the room and i rummaged through his draws finding a bottle of whiskey which i took out and put on his desk for him coming back, I done the exam and came in first. They couldn't understand how i done it, neither can I, must just have a good memory.

I remember being in class and the teacher saying Singing go to your house block, the head of house is waiting for you, i walked in to my DPs sitting looking angry with a load of forged notes they had found under my bed signed by them excusing me from lessons.

Daydreaming
Skiving off PE
Handing up a maths exam with just my name written on the top of the page

I was more badly behaved by my 'absence' of doing things than by any deliberate actions

Not actually going to school mainly. In my defense, I had a shit time there and a shitter time at home. Not one teacher seemed to pick up on how desperately unhappy I was.

Also, not doing homework.

Not being able to do the work. Kids should never be punished for this

Wearing my tie 'wrong',
Chewing gum,
Being generally gobby,
Instigating trouble like when I got everyone in the French class to answer every question with "plums"
Being in the canteen when banned,

Talking, giggling and wearing tights (every day as I wore them every day - the sock rule was bloody stupid) and wearing mascara.

I was very quiet and never stood out and got away with everything. I was a stealth pupil. Under the radar.

I dressed neatly, was polite and a prefect but after school I was out on the back of my boyfriend's motorbike roaring through the country roads and drinking in pubs and going to gigs.

Who needs the hassle of teachers on your back by being a gobshite? It just takes the teachers away from the kids who want to learn.

As a prefect I hated the gobby kids who thought they knew it all.

As a prefect I once pulled a particularly nasty piece of work who was bullying a young girl into a corridor and held her up by her lapels against a wall and let her drop.

In the evenings though.................that was a different gig altogether.

Double standards or what?

I still hate that gobshite bully who made that little kids life a misery though.

Shirt untucked. I also had a long sleeved shirt so it looked more untidy as either cuffs dangled over my hands (I'm very short) or were rolled to the elbow. Similar with my jumper.

Chewing gum/eating in the form room - I got 2 detentions for that one!

My friends and I used to pretend to be in all the sports clubs to get in first for lunch - then a PE teacher heard us trying to get into the canteen by saying it was hockey practice and expressed her disbelief at this.

...Although I was pretty well behaved at school as a rule the tights and mascara were my only true rebellion ... until sixth form anyway.

Daydreaming
Talking
Doodling
Not paying attention
Not doing homework
Not doing PE
Not turning up at all
Turning up without my uniform
Wearing make up
Wearing jewellery
Swearing

I hated school, I was bullied every day of my school life and eventually stopped going altogether. Like itsnotme both school and home were shit and not one teacher seemed to notice how miserable I was

I now have a 1st class degree and a PhD so fuck you Mrs Turner

We were issued with detention slips we had to take home to be signed by our parents.

One was for "inciting the class to rowdiness" ? Nonsense! The mistress was late and I'd merely organised everyone into a rather fine choir with musical accompaniments ie desk banging, running rulers up and down the rads, etc, while singing the school anthem, with words just slightly changed, all composed and conducted by me

And another"banging on the upper keys of the grand piano" just the upper ones, then. Two other friends were in charge of the middle and lower keys

The music mistress could have avoided all this if her timekeeping was better and she didn't spend all the time she should have been teaching us, in the staff room smoking fags.

Reckon we should have given her a detention slip for bad timekeeping and lack of dedication to her students education

Not much. I was a bit chatty sometimes but was quiet when told to. My parents were teachers and I would have been in so much trouble for being rude

Not going.

I was bullied a lot so used to truant all the time so eventually they gave me a home tutor

Also not going. Didn't get a home tutor though :(

"Tanith rarely engages and behaves as though she were partly asleep. She appears to have a complete blockage in the subject."

My needlework teacher's report (none of this modern positive feedback stuff then ).

Ironic, really. I wonder what she'd make of my embroideries and home made dressing up clothes now

Yep - it was the patterns I couldn't get on with! So confusing and illogical. So I make my own up these days.

That and the grumpy teacher, of course...

When I was in year 10 and friend and I bunked off to spend the day with some boys from the nearby college. We ended up getting stoned at a park, but got spotted by a teacher who told us to get to school and that he would check we were there. He must have though we had only slipped out for break. So we went in to school as high as kites.

funny immature pranks that I still laugh about now.
Think fish behind a radiator in HE.

I always had to take it one step beyond 'class clown' - so me and Mary would be the fuckers blocking in the needlework teacher's car with a big heavy bin, or another friend (now a famous actress!) ringing in a bomb scare or applying superglue to toilet lids. How I never got decked for my efforts I'll never know - I must have tried them to the very limits of their patience!

Ringing in a bombscare???? She's lucky she wasn't charged for that.

PS Who is she?

Being late, usually got out of bed with about 15 mins to spare. Then went home for the 35 mins lunchbreak just to watch Neighbours giving me exactly 4 mins to return to school.

And sleeping behind my hair in class.

School uniform not being right
Skiving
Smoking in the toilets

I still don't like uniforms, don't skive anymore, am actually a very hard worker, still smoke

Not trying hard enough in pe. I had the audacity to have bad athsma and it was poorly controlled as I wasn't allowed to keep an inhailer with me.
Of course I was last in all the running races - I didn't want to be ill!