AIBU To Think That The Plots Of The Chalet School Books Were Really Improbable

[TheShellBeach]

.................................such as Prince Cosimo, the endless kidnappings, all the train crashes/bus crashes/car crashes/plane crashes/boat sinkings hang on a minute, were there any boat sinkings

Okay, I've just remembered that there were a couple of near misses with boats when the CS was on the island. Joey was nearly flung overboard once (a missed opportunity for EBD to get rid of her IMO) and there were probably others.

Anyway - all aboard and ahoy there.

I actually live in Wales and locally we have English medium, Welsh medium, and bilingual schools here (slight oversimplification, but close enough). In the bilingual ones, pupils sometimes do some subjects in English and some in Welsh, e.g. maths and science in English, PE and arts subjects in Welsh.

Do you know what no one ever does? One day in English, next day in Welsh!!!

Do you know what no one ever does? One day in English, next day in Welsh!!!

I think you should suggest it, and add in another* *language for a third day. Yoruba, Magyar, Serbo-Croat or something..........

And make all the teachers stick to that, too.

KLAXON

I have now got the complete set of GGBP CS books.

I've left a note in my will to my children, that some of the books will command a high price on Ebay, and not to just give them to the nearest charity shop when I'm dead.

I absolutely adored The Chalet School books as a child (six decades ago!) but never owned any. I just haunted the local library. About fifteen years ago, I started collecting them, mostly from ebay. I got about half, then stopped. The adult me was so critical of them that it was spoiling the memories for me and I sort of wish I hadn't done it. I can't see my grand daughters ever reading them. I still remember how much I loved my first ever foray into the Chalet School world with "Jo of the Chalet School." I was eight and it was love at first sight. It was ages before I got "The School at the Chalet" and read the books out of sync, as they became available. I joined the Chalet School club and was heart-broken when I lost my little pin. I loved the newsletters from EDB which showed me that I was pronouncing all the names wrongly. I yearned to be a pupil of the Chalet School! When I did start learning French and German, I decided that it was just as well that I couldn't be. I struggled enough with maths and science even when taught in English. Now I think EDB was an indifferent writer and a terrible snob but I'm grateful to her for helping turn a scruffy little Irish girl into a life-long, omniverous reader who eventually became an English teacher.

Jack Maynard had a habit of sneaking a little something into a hot drink to knock you out for a bit 😆 I read that now with a wtf 😳 sort of reaction

Blimey. So did Matey.

I collected the books when I was young. I never got all of them but I did buy lots of old library copies. This would have been in the 80s. When I went to Uni I had a clear out and listed them on eBay a very old library copy of The two Sams sold for £72 which was an absolute eye opener! I sold another one for £30. I remember they paid for food for my first term and for a student with no extra money it was great. Do I wish I still had them? No, they were part of my young life and I have some on my kindle but they also helped me achieve my degree.

Also I remember how difficult some were to get. If they are still going for high prices that is a definite inheritance!

I downloaded the lot for free fairly recently but where from I simply can't remember. Unabridged texts
I have a funny feeling might have been off a link on mumsnet

That's how I finally read them all! Lots were out of print by the time I came to them. Was great fun reminiscing!

A lot of them are on https://www.fadedpage.com/csearch.php?sort=auto&author=Brent-Dyer,%20Elinor%20Mary

They're all available in a drop box.

Ah I think it was the Dropbox I got them from. That sounds familiar

I remember as a child I assumed that all the teaching was in English and 'French/German' days were just for social chatter out of lessons, as I couldn't see how else it would work. I still read the Tyrol books as comfort reads - they've got me through some hospital stays - so despite some of the (very!) dubious characters/plotlines I will always be grateful to EBD.

Only when Evil Miss Bubb arrives and starts to (shock!) think academic results might actually be slightly important for a school. And as she’s clearly an evil harpy, that’s clearly a Bad Thing.

Yeah in one book Matey just drugs half the school

I don't get why they secretly drugged each other rather than saying "I will give you something that relaxes you/help you sleep"

There was nothing else EBD could do with her. Robin's only role in the books was that of an angelic child, who was the focus of total worshipful adoration (apart from Joyce Linton, who couldn't give a toss). The poor thing wasn't even given much of a personality. Once EBD was forced to let her grow up, her usefulness was at an end. If 'The Robin' wasn't going to die of TB (promises, promises), there was nothing left for her to do but become a nun - at least, not if Dr Jem had anything to do with it. In the book where everyone freaks out because she might have contracted 'the horrid thing' - Jo: "Madge! Not that! Not that, for The Robin!" - Jem, in discussing the child's 'frail health', expresses the opinion that he hopes 'she would never marry'. WTF?? Between that and the doctors' habit of drugging their wives and half the school every five minutes, these men certainly had the women under control!

Talking of bird names - we had a collection of girls’ own stories which probably dated from the late 60s. One of the stories, I think called “A Robin in the Nest”, was about a girl called Zipporah arriving at boarding school and being nicknamed Robin. Her grandfather wanted her to study boring law, and she had to do work experience in a stuffy solicitor’s office, but she wanted to be a children’s nurse like the other girls. Does anyone recognise this? Was it part of a series?

Apart from Miss Slater, who committed the unpardonable sin of not wanting to teach Maths in German so did not travel out to Switzerland.

Miss Slater was a turncoat and no mistake.

I remember the bit about a girl called Zipporah being given the nickname Robin - not the rest of it but I’m sure I read it at some point.

Plus she’s ambitious for her own career (I think she says something about wanting to be Head of Maths at a big school in the UK?) hence clearly a wrong’un. Is it Biddy O’Ryan who asks her some question about whether she’s serious about not moving with the school to Switzerland and missing out on all the fun’? Biddy who of course has Stockholm Syndrome because she’s been at the school pretty much since she was about ten…

In one of the books, no idea which, a girl says she’s seen a job description for the teachers which includes ‘Conversational French and German essential.’ I’d have thought they’d need to go a long way beyond conversational if they’re actually teaching in those languages.

In The Chalet School Librarian by Pat Willimot, they finally realise it's not working (only because they suddenly have an influx of new girls who only speak English). So they start classes purely in learning the other languages, and not trying to teach subjects in them.

I think EBD hated/didn't understand maths and so it was always viewed with deep suspicion throughout the series. All the main protagonists are bad at maths, and most of the teachers of it are not given the sympathetic portrayal other subject teachers get. Most of the girls who are good at maths are then shown to be not good Chalet girls in other ways (e.g. Phil Craven).

Simone Lecoutier may be the exception among the teachers, but she only does it for a short while before following her True Destiny and getting married and having babies.