Teacher - 30 year on

[AuntumnDaysLove]

I went to an open evening for my childs high school.
it happens to be my old school.
When i got there i saw my old P.E male (from 30 years ago) teacher who is now deputy head of the school.

The anxiety i felt was unreal. I remember when i was at school myself and friend had bunked off P.E.
When he asked where we had been we made up some lie. He looked us up and down and turned to me and said ‘it’s a shame you missed it as you of all people really need to be exercising’.

i always remember it as i turned bright red and everyone laughed at me.

When i saw him it again it brought it all back. I didn’t say anything but really wish i had now that i’m not an overweight 13 year old.

And you’ll be sending your child there? Where he’s now the deputy head?

Nope definitely not.

Just wish o called him out on his past behaviour now that im a grown up. But i just went back to being that anxiety rideen school girl when i saw him.

Bloody hell. That’s awful.

It was a long time ago., attitudes were different and teaching was different. Challenging him in the middle of an open evening for something he’s unlikely to remember wouldn’t have left you with a feeling of triumph, more awkwardness.

I wouldn’t be discounting schools on the basis that someone said something unkind thirty years ago. He would have been a young man then and age, changing attitudes and maturity do a lot for people.

I agree. Obviously he shouldn’t have said that to you but saying something to him at an open night thirty years later was probably not going to make you feel better about it. He would have just brushed it off I imagine and you would have felt even worse.

I wouldn’t prevent my son from going to a secondary school because the deputy head had said something inappropriate to me three decades earlier because choosing a school is difficult enough as it is.

This is one of those ideas that sounds better in your head. It’s a good thing you didn’t confront him.

Hurtful and humiliating as it was at the time, that would have been ridiculous 30 years later and probably would have caused more embarrassment.

If that were me, I’d feel better having a brief, normal conversation/introduction so I didn’t feel invisible and small. I’d be unbothered. That would be a win for me.