Some Fretwork and the Interminable Christmas Play at the Chalet School

[EmilyAlice]

Now girls, line up and listen because this term is a busy one. Firstly we are combining our hobbies club and the Christmas play, so we will need our fretworkers to get busy on the scenery, some beautiful découpage for decorations, our nimble-fingered needlewomen on costume duty and some scrapbooks for - er...
Now one other thing girls. As you know the Chalet School has moved from the Tyrol, to Guernsey, to Armishire, to some island or other and thence to Switzerland.
This term we have moved again and the first thing I want you to do is to find out where the bloody hell we are....

Regiment of Women thread I haven't included any spoilers - it's just a placemark until Nell, Mornington, Emily and anyone else are ready for a nice spoilery discussion.

Oh to only have to plan once in 20 years!! Of course the CS was free of government interference and the dreaded ofsted....

Yay, exciting new thread! Thanks Cheddar.

I think it was the Sadducees who killed Jesus. They crop up a lot in the gospels, anyway.

Ha, mornington, I think £16.14 is more or less exactly what I paid for my copy. £16.something, anyway.

Re: the CS compared with modern teaching. Their class sizes are a hell of a lot smaller. That has to count for something, especially re: marking. So you planned once - at the start of your career - and marked probably half the volume of work, on account of fewer pupils per year. Even allowing for random extracurricular stuff like producing the Christmas play and falling off mountains and trips to Stubaital and dealing with Joey, I think it's an easier job than now. Or maybe not. Maybe that's why they barely had to look at a doctor before becoming engaged - it was the only escape!

That was what I've always thought about the planning, Nell. Also, I always imagined teachers had a textbook they followed instead of having to spend time finding, adapting and creating their own resources, and after the teacher had demonstrated whatever it was on the blackboard or led a round of reasoning from cause to effect the girls got on with working silently at their desks while the mistresses did their marking. However, in War Among Ladies the teachers definitely go home (to their cheerless 'rooms' in the houses of working class women who'd clearly rather they weren't there) to spend the evenings planning and marking.

I think a Sadducee attitude means being cynical or unduly doubting. But I am basing this mainly on Lord Peter telling Parker not to overdo the Sadducee attitude in DLS.

I'm going to start on Regiment after finishing the Josephine Tey from the site someone linked to earlier. You lot are very bad for my productivity.

And no, Primrose, your DS can't be a sheep. There is a distinct progression from back row of the choir, to noises off, to sheep/baby angel through to First Reindeer-Donkey. Your DS must serve his time (unless he's a Bettany-Maynard-Russell of course, in which case he can have a starring role, three solos and a vote of thanks).

Sorry Princess. I had forgotten what an important role sheep was in the nativity (though in fairness I'd only promoted him as far as lamb). Fortunately, however, since the Ofsted inspection and Rosli's lengthy improvement plan for the Freudesyurt nurseryurt, it has been converted to an academy meaning that all problems with it have evaporated. So I can attend rehearsals (for my role as 27th peasant) and the performance without bringing the singleton along.

By the later Oberland ones they have 25 girls in a class. That's quite a lot, especially when they also have to attend endless Evenings and fall off their chairs laughing at tableaux. Of course, Madge and her 9 pupils at the beginning would have had it much easier.

Anyway, my lambs, I'm off to fetch a cow from Herr Frankincense and a goat from Frau Myrrh (both of whom exist solely to lend animals to the School and never appear again) for the Nativity and lead them to sit next to Bruno the Untrained. What could possibly go wrong?

To be honest, I don't see the appeal of being a CS teacher at all by the end of the series. I hadn't realised that the class sizes had grown so much, but even aside from that it's a ridiculous prospect - you're basically trapped in this awful tiny enclave of the School, the San, Freudesheim and Adlersnest. That's literally it. The only thing you can do for fun is sit in the staff room, visit Joey for English tea and radio parties, presumably visit Biddy and Hilary, and occasionally escort a class to Lausanne or Interlaken or something.

Somehow the school at Briesau doesn't seem anything like as stifling. Not sure if that's because the location itself is actually any better (Briesau does feel more populated than the Gornetz Platz, but realistically I'm not sure that the school staff would have had much to do with anyone other than the school, the San, and Die Rosen?) / more conveniently located for appealing trips; or whether it's that the smaller staff is actually less claustrophobic, because they're not such an inward-looking clique at that point?

I'm trying to remember how arduous being a teacher seems to be in Lady of Letters. I don't think there's much complaint of there being a lot of after-hours work to do - actually I think most of the staff seem to spend a lot of time gossiping and playing bridge, except for Our Heroine who instead spends lots of happy evenings at the ducky little cottage which belongs to one of her senior colleagues. They have wonderful evenings filled with fascinating conversations which sounds much better than the experiences in War Among Ladies, if perhaps somewhat less plausible.

I suppose there's a lot more effort made in the Tyrol books to integrate into the community - becoming bessie mates with Herr Braun, going to Marie and Andre's wedding, getting out to the Kron Prinz Karl for a bit of Tzigane-watching, being invited to stay with the Mensches etc. It all feels a bit more natural than when they only socialise with the School/San/Winnie Embury. I think it also sounds a lot more like there actually is a community there - they all band together in times of fire(ball) or flood or Polly Heriot ringing the school bell. And then for quite a few of the Tyrol books there's St Scholastika's. And the apple lady and a shop where one can buy fruit cake and smoked bacon and a hotel with hair-shampooer, and a winter carnival when men drink schnapps and get a bit lairy. There's bugger all on the Platz apart from the little Gasthaus where the echoes are.

Isn't there a bit in one of the CS books where someone is giving tips on how to avoid too much marking? Is it when Jo comes back to teach for a bit, or when Kathie joins? It's a new member of staff receiving the advice, anyway.

could be a figment of my imagination though

Erm... I vaguely recall someone dispensing advice to Jo on not marking with red pen, I think, in Jo Returns. It makes a mess everywhere. That's not really very similar, is it. Sorry...

Yes, Cheddar, exactly. All of that, plus in Briesau the school begins from scratch and needs local girls to attend. Then the San develops separately, afterwards (employing local doctors ie. Gottfried, and not just bussed-in Brits). They generate employment in a poor village which relies heavily on seasonal tourism, although admittedly it does appear that literally every person they ever employ comes from the same family.

In contrast, a massive school and San suddenly launch themselves on a tiny and largely unpopulated mountain shelf in Switzerland. They ship in all their staff, pupils and patients from Britain/England (interchangeable terms for EBD ) and they bring along their trusty band of Pfeiffens too. Not that I imagine many Swiss would have been queueing up to do the CS cooking and cleaning, really.

I can totally imagine how a (British/English) teacher might have seen a job ad for a small school on the shores of the beautiful Tiernsee and thought ooh, that might be an adventure; whereas I imagine the prospect of joining the CS in Switzerland would be more like, I dunno, joining an academy based in a space station or something.

But at the same time I could see the appeal of joining when the finishing school is set up, as Vi Norton does: I guess again, it's small and newly establishing itself and sounds different and interesting. I am probably being irrational, because being stuck with three colleagues in the middle of nowhere in Switzerland is surely no less stifling than being stuck in the middle of nowhere in Switzerland with a much bigger number of colleagues to choose between, plus the alternative options of Freudesheim or Adlersnest. Maybe it is the proximity of Freudesheim that is the dealbreaker!

Well my friend and I qualified at the same time, I'm at a girls' state school and she's at a girls' boarding school. I try not to kill her when we talk about work. My 7-11 classes are 30-32, hers are 20-24 - honestly, it makes a difference. Her 12-13 classes are no bigger than 8, mine are 17-30, depending on the year. That is an absolute killer (and I do a lot of sixth form). She has boarding duties, as do most of the staff, but the only thing they have to mark are end of half term assessments (once every three weeks for sixth form). We have to do homework, plus class work, plus end of half term assessments. Remember that private schools are still much freer from all the supposed-Ofsted-pleasing nonsense the rest of us have to do. Boarding duties also means they teach slightly fewer lessons. I do t think she plans anything on a regular basis. They set up their schemes years ago and now just teach them. They'll have to change for the new specs, but they do them together and pool everything together. Much bigger staff than the CS would have had, so less work per teachers. Plus all members of staff have a 10% timetable allocation for either PE, drama or music or some other nonsense. So she spends 10% of her timetable time playing netball with the gels. And I do mean playing. You have to do a certain number of activities per week, but they're normally the staff hobbies, so sports, music, drama, watching films in French, book club, knitting, painting, whatever... so most staff think it's more like fun. Last year she 'supervised' a weekly cookery class that someone came in to teach, and a weekly one hour hair styling session, which a local hairdresser taught it has its downsides though. She has one evening off and half a day at weekends during term time, but does get amazing holidays. But she rarely sees her boyfriend in term time.

And hilariously they do actually do expeditions (not just trips) during term time which the teachers go on. All school trips are term time unless it's something like world challenge, we have to give up holiday time. And the girls are very different to ours, more likely to complain, and the parents can be a nightmare. Boarding duties come with boarding responsibilities, so she's on call at night. Girls constantly together like that means that friendship issues become a massive part of the form tutors' lives - we rarely have to deal with that after year 7/8. But there's very little telling them off. I taught down there for a day when we were trading teaching tips and lessons, and they were sitting on desks, had their shoes off, writing in pencil , chatting over the teachers. Totally different world. Much more indulgent.

if I didn't have three small boys and a teaching husband I'd been down there in a flash

Hello all. I assume everyone is very busy with their fretwork, lace, crocheting and scrapbooks for the next sale. I've been knitting my lime green bedsocks to go with the lime green nightie I'm going to crochet next.

When do I need to start learning my moves for the play?

Primrose with those golden locks, all you need to do is look angelic for the play.

Ahem, we don't seem to have actually had the play reading yet so nobody can start rehearsing anything. I don't even know which Bettany wrote the thing this year. Unless, that is, you went ahead with the reading without me while I was in bed with the after-effects of fermented yaks' milk a bad headache into which I'd cried myself after Miss Annersley tutted at me as I walked past on my way to the speisesyurt.

Somehow the school at Briesau doesn't seem anything like as stifling. Not sure if that's because the location itself is actually any better

There's only one way to find out, Nell. Now that you've been to Pertisau Briesau, you're going to have to go to Switzerland so that you can compare and contrast. Only, now I come to think about it, just where in Switzerland would you go? Presumably near Interlaken somewhere, but is there an actual location for the Swiss school? I don't seem to recall hearing it mentioned, whereas everyone knows the Tyrol location.

We've got a magnificent afternoon ahead tomorrow copying out our parts in the hall yurt first and we can speak our own languages as well. (I'm never sure why some of the rooms were in German and not others, I assume EBD's German wasn't up to it.) However as I'm not a Bettany/Maynard/Russell, I have four lines as a beggar girl!

The Swiss location according to one website is thought to be Wengen.

Ooh - so do we know who wrote the play now? I'm impressed you've got 4 lines Ionacat. You must have a very clear speaking voice though nothing like the clarion tones of OOAO.

Pondering the play - if it was always in English did the audience understand it? Or was everyone who was invited so closely connected with the school that they were fluent in all three languages? Or maybe the magic of the play was enough to make them feel like crying regardless of whether they understood it?

In the first play they do doesn't it say that the audience did not all understand the words but the meaning and simplicity were clear? Or have I made that up?

I seem to remember something like that, Hels. But I've often wondered about whichever play it is where the pastor asks them to do it for the children of his poor parish. Surely they would have wanted it in German? Perhaps the girls did it in translation for them.

I take it we're all familiar with Mongolian by now, having lived here for half a term, so if necessary we can do our play in translation for the simple locals. Joey of course speaks it like a local herself so I'm sure she'll help us with any sticky passages. Google translate tells me that Mongolian for baby angel is хүүхэд тэнгэр элч, or 'khüükhed tenger elch' in the Roman alphabet. First rehearsals this afternoon, all you khüükhed tenger elch.

As I am playing Genghis Khan I shall not attend rehearsals. I may be along later to lay waste to something or other.
In my other role as choregrapher for Mongolian folk dancers I would be grateful if the girls could put in a little more tambourine practice. The last rehearsal was a disgrace.

Come on, girls, EmilyAlice is a poppet but a perfect tartar when roused (and therefore perfectly typecast as Genghis Khan ).

The Mongolian for reindeer is tsaa buga. I am considering changing my username to EElisaveTsaaBuga for the festive season.

Goodness me. Had never seen the significance of "a perfect Tartar when roused". There has been a branch in Mongolia all along.

I have got a nice lot of fermented yaks milk maturing in the cupboard, next to Matey's jam.

It should make a tidy sum at the next fête, so long as the mistresses don't notice it's there - I caught them using the distillery in Mushy Pea!

Perhaps we could sell it at the Christmas play, too? We could put the money raised towards the hospiyurt, I'm sure one's been set up by now?

Sanitoriyurt, surely? We shall have a little plaque above the cot saying "Chalet-Yurt-School Bed". Not too dusty, is it? The Sanitoriyurt moved to Mongolia because of the sparkling clear air there, like champagne, and not at all because the Head of the Swiss San's wife cried and threatened to have septuplets if he didn't agree to follow the School.