And here is an RCMP investigation that absolves the RCMP themselves...

[(http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ccaps/sled_dogs_final_e.htm|Final Report: RCMP Review of Allegations Concerning Inuit Sled Dogs)]

dyan, you remind me somehow of today's first comic from Kate Beaton.

Thank you Stephen, but much as I enjoy the RCMP's reputation as the most adorable of all Federal Police, I have to say their reputation is a little... nicer than the reality. [(http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/aboriginals/starlighttours.html|CBC News In Depth: Aboriginal Canadians…

I am telling you, Kate Beaton is brilliant.

Eg.

Or.

At least as awesome as the previous two.

Interestingly enough, I don't know whether uniforms were ever widespread in Canadian schools. I would hazard a guess they weren't (imagine setting a uniform raincoat in Vancouver, or a uniform parka and balaclava in Edmonton....)

Heh, You will certainly find plenty of rain gear worn in Vancouver schools, that's for…

Stephen Walker wrote:
and all-year-round shorts from day one until the end of 7th form.

At a Dunedin boys school in the sixties we took a perverse pleasure in wearing shorts in the 7th form. Longs were optional but hardly anybody did. I can’t remember why – it might just…

I suspect if you were about to enter high school now it would be Western Springs College that your parents would be fighting to get you into.....

Weird. I went to Seddon High School (as WSC was then known), at the same time as David and my…

Ahh – that one. I was there through the early '80s. My then girl friend's parents taught there and I…

Good gods, how wide-spread is this?

I tended to have a small group of people in various classes that I used to help with things after the teacher had finished explaining it. A couple of nice young women in 5th form maths, a group of four or five friends in…

We weren't obsessed with what we wore and I don't know anyone who spent "too long" getting dressed in the morning to learn.

Give the nascent minds the freedom to wear what they want and they end up wearing clothes – just like we do as adults.

The…

So we taught ourselves Calculus out of the textbook. Set something we would all try and figure it out. Those who did first would confer to ensure they agreed then each would teach someone else who would then help someone else etc.

Good gods, how wide-spread is this? Because that…

because that's a balmy summer's day, innit..

Nah, balmy summer's day is when the mercury is pushing, almost, up to 20C. The problem here with hot summer days is the hot air rising off the land draws cold air in off the North Sea and a haar begins to form…

So we taught…

Here in Dundee we wear t-shirts at 15C

because that's a balmy summer's day, innit..

Mind you I had no sympathy for soft Aucklanders who complained about the cold in 'winter'.

Barefoot rugby on the frosty fields of Taranaki certainly brought a different perspective to the winderless north.

Found chch too damn cold though, and Dunedin even turned on a 12 degree Xmas day for…

It…

Technically we (boys that is, not…

Bullies would generally mutilate unusual names repeatly and in humiliating ways until the victim was infuriated into taking action, and then they'd beat them up.

Well, they'd try. Moved around the country a bit, and in every school you'd get the same small-minded munters policing any signs of difference. Luckily…

worked largely due to the community/society within which it existed... totally foreign to how it is here...

Nope it's not foreign here at all. GBHS in the 70s may not have had the attention to detail that Dyan describes, but the culture was there alright. Kids who could skateboard well…

Re: the diversity of names. Another good point, but 3 of the first 5 names I entered into my cellphone in Canada were "Bob". "Bob", "Doug", and "Mike from Calgary"seem to account for 50% of the male population.

Bob & Doug – yes there are a lot, the most famous being…

children are oft times each others best teachers.

My school actually got a chance to put that to the test in 7th form chemistry.
There were two classes. One had a teacher throughout the entire year. For various reasons, my class had a rapid rotation of relievers (some very effective,…

Are there any around now?

Lots, depending on what you mean by 'alternative'. Religious schools that are integrated receive state funding – Middleton Grange does, despite being one of the largest financial contributors to the Maxim Institute. Also despite one of their objectives being

To develop confidence in, and the…

Our school was one of two state funded alternative secondary schools in the country.

Are there any around now?

I agree with you about secondary school needing to be less about academic achievement. If we stand far enough back, you'd have to ask why we should think the teenage years,…

Re: potentially being "beaten up" for an unusual name in NZ. A delightful insight into the mentality of some.

Oddly, I never experienced this at my alma mater. Bullies would generally mutilate unusual names repeatly and in humiliating ways until the victim was infuriated into taking action, and then they'd…

I wouldn't define "responsible for" as "boss of" or "in charge of". It's more of an obligation than a power.

I know the concept of prefects aims for this ideal, but I do hear many stories – all second hand I admit – but many stories of people who were…

I don't know, And what exactly do you mean by that?

That it doesn't seem out of the question that people applying for a an arts-related grant might occasionally try put their own edgy, artistic – "creative", as it were – spin on it.

If not, is a lost opportunity…

Until they invent time machines, time spent stressing over clothes IS going to be lost to other pursuits.

simply isn't true: because I've DONE it. There was no uniform, there was no stressing over clothes. Okay?

I'm not denying your experience, and my quote above doesn't contradict it – the…

The concept of leaving one particular child or group of children "in charge" with "responsibility" over other children is irresponsible and unwise

I wouldn't define "responsible for" as "boss of" or "in charge of". It's more of an obligation than a power.

Don't know much about sports teams (didn't know…

Scott Robertson and Lonelygirl15 were "educated" at Mount College.

So was Steve Braunias... not 'famous' enough perhaps?

Ahhh, peer support is completely different from the prefect system.

Yes, exactly what I am trying to say. Canadian schools have no concept of "prefects" and the concept would be quite startling to say the least.

In my training as a coach we were specifically warned off the idea of…

My daughter is special needs – delayed physical development and what seems to be a form of autism.

She loves buttons, especially buttons on video/DVD players. A year or so ago she deprogrammed my parents' machine during a visit.

Next visit…

Until they invent time machines, time spent stressing over clothes IS going to be lost to other pursuits.

simply isn't true: because I've DONE it. There was no…

Did none of your gymnastics teams ever have uniforms?

Er, no we didn't. I wore the same Danskin leotards I wore for ballet classes, and either a ballet sweater (one of those wrap around things) or a long sleeved t shirt over it, as a ballet leotard has no sleeves…

There was a module that involved applying for arts grants, when I was at art school.

This may be the most splendidly sensible thing I have ever heard of.

Although I must confess to being a little disappointed not to be regaled (yet) with tales of creative projects and their…

Like how to file out a creative NZ grant application form, for instance.

Wasn't there a module on that in Bursary English? ;)

But seriously, go on, tell us more.

But you can't see how it might be equally offensive to make an assumption and a blanket statement like this about the effects of letting kids choose their own clothes??

Actually, no. Until they invent time machines, time spent stressing over clothes IS going to be lost to other pursuits.…

Yet, every minute a teenager spends fussing over what they…

A few guys tried to make this a bit cooler by replacing the standard shorts with slighly…

There is also a counter argument that every minute students spend picking out clothes is a minute they don't spend learning.

certainly didn't apply, because I wasn't getting dressed on school time. Uniform inspections DO happen on school time.

When I wrote that, I was thinking of homework and study,…

My daughter's primary school had a uniform. It was a pain in the arse. We were always running out of clean uniform clothes.

Indeed. Sorry, uniform is NOT a blessing for parents, it's a huge PITA. While my kids' school makes a determined effort to keep the cost of the…

I actually find the accusation of sickness/contemptibility extremely offensive.

I hated my school for all sorts of reasons, but I do agree with Amy – Dyan, that was a bit on the nose. I think what you're describing in terms of passive-aggressiveness and immaturity in social situations is just general…

The contrast in those photos is outstanding, indicative of the extremes of views in education I'd say....

Possibly, although it might just mean that one is taken by the LC Scott people that come to your school and line you all up and instruct you on hand/foot placement[*] and the…

Here is one of my schools photos, from the time I was there.

Ooo! Let's all play this game.

Here is my 7th form cohort. Look how contemptible we are!

The contrast in those photos is outstanding, indicative of the extremes of views in education I'd say....

Here is one of my schools photos, from the time I was there.

Ooo! Let's all play this game.

Here is my 7th form cohort. Look how contemptible we are!

In my day it was mostly the 7th formers who noticed the petty infringements and dished out the correctives (taking out the hair tie/pulling up your socks/going to their common room at lunch to clean your shoes/etc).

Well here's the origins of your toxic hierarchy. In my country it…

And I truly am.

This is a school with incredibly high numbers of kids who's first language is not English – many families are in fact relatively new to NZ. I'm enormously proud to be…

By comparison with David's and others' experience, my secondary schooling was pretty bloody fantastic really – despite being a decile 1…

My secondary school, Fairfield College in Hamilton, did not have uniform. It wasn't quite as idyllic as the situation Dyan describes — I remember someone being sent home for wearing the Young Ones tshirt that had the slogan "never mind the Sex Pistols, here's our…

the free-for-all you have described worked largely due to the community/society within which it existed... totally foreign to how it is here... or what i see and experience anyway.

as a parent i love school uniforms
my…

boys with names like Thor, Elkir and Blade set a new style other boys copied -

So clothes won't do it, but a totally awesome Marvel comic name might?

The TBHS old boys must be spewing.

Probably bemoaning the lack of school certificate/bursary etc.

The stereotyping of 1st XV players on the PA forum is taking on NZ First type proportions ;-)

Sorry, here. I can testify that a former captain of the Nelson College 1st XV was a lovely, polite handsome young man more than happy to be of service to others.

In…

I know some may be wondering what happened to the Captain of David's 1st 15. I hired one of Ian Wishart's investigators who found him, have sworn affidavit and a video to…

In general schools with fearsome uniform regulations seem to have pretty good outcomes

That was the thing about WAGS. Its fearsome (and definitely staff-enforced) uniform regulations were entirely out of keeping with the low SES character of the school community, and the school's generally poor-to-middling record of achievement.

Many of…

Bearing in mind that every minute school staff spend enforcing such absurdities is a minute they don't spend um, educating, surely a case could be made for scrapping uniforms to enhance educational achievement.

In my day it was mostly the 7th formers who noticed the petty infringements and dished out…

Most seem to have knee length skirts, Wellington East has optional long skirts for Muslim students, and only Queen Margarets seems to have it as standard. They also have regulation hair tie colours.

Tsk tsk, it's Queen Margaret – no plural or possessive.

Unfortunarely for my current stock of stories,…

sorry, slightly off topic but...
i think all these state primary schools in AKL requiring all the kids to wear uniforms (bought from a specific shop) is complete bollocks.
adds nothing, detracts a lot.
f-ing crass and a waste of money.

I was on the foundation BOT of my kids'…

Cause I didn't care about the neatness of my uniform so I figured someone who did care about ironed bouses (ie my Mum) could do that bit. I figured out the laundry thing when I had clothes that I actually liked.

Ditto. Never gave a damn about my uniform, but…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EY7lYRneHc

I think that's success.

Plus, having a uniform is possibly the only reason many teenagers learn how to handwash and iron.

Really? Cause I didn't care about the neatness of my uniform so I figured someone who did care about ironed bouses (ie my Mum) could do that bit. I figured out the laundry…

They also regulate colours of hair-tie.

Bearing in mind that every minute school staff spend enforcing such absurdities is a minute they don't spend um, educating, surely a case could be made for scrapping uniforms to enhance educational achievement.

The almost complete absence of uniforms in public high schools in…

Given that experience, I'm surprised by the number of really long skirt uniforms that have popped up since I left school.

When we were looking at applying to Riccarton High as a back-up for my son, I read their uniform code. Insane. Girls' skirt hems were not allowed to be…

We got rugby or soccer on a random basis, but the former was limited by the fact that very few of the staff actually knew how to play,…

The year after I left they introduced these honking great kilts. I had to wear one a couple of times for…

girls can wear long or short skirts or shorts or trousers if they wish

Heh, my old school had a version of that rule. You had to buy or make skirts at knee length for the start of the year, but then half the girls rolled them up at the…

mount maunganui college was shit, but at least the bullying was minimal by comparison (though gruelling at the time).

the only semi-famous alumni i can think of is david skilling, of the new zealand…

Also, my favourite teacher was later jailed twice for grooming and molesting teenage boys.

If it doesn't involve cats, it's not really a good story :-)

Also two really popular and otherwise good blokes did a bit of time, one for disposing of the pistol after someone topped his boss over drugs in the UK and…

The only gay teacher I knew about didn't come out until after he retired, but given he used to butle for the Spencer family at Althorp and looked and sounded like Stephen Fry, nobody was terribly surprised.

Also, Hayley Westenra!

And Metro editor Bevan Rapson, gallery correspondent Mike Jaspers, All Black Andy Ellis ... I'm sure there must be a few more, the place was (and is) so big.

There…

Bill & Boyd & convicted murderer

Did the convicted murderer leave the group before they became famous? Creative differences I suppose.

I just looked at my old High Schools wikipedia page and saw that our only famous alumni was Madeleine Sami.

I'm envious, all I've got (OK, I attended 3 colleges around the world, but the one I was longest at) is Sir Bob Jones, Bill & Boyd & convicted murderer, Graeme Burton.

It IS nice to see that…

What was wrong with Tokoroa North School?!

Nuffin, it just pales in comparison to the educational opportunities my sprogs are getting in the modern primary system.

A friend of mine, after four years at our liberal co-ed school, did his 7th form year at Timaru Boys' High, where they sang…

and more rugby teams than you could shake a stick at (about 23 at the time).

and a former All Black captain as Headmaster!

and all-year-round shorts from day one until the end of…

Being a fairly genteel girls shool I was rarely beaten up but the cliquishness and low-level but ever present psychological warfare that went on were pretty damaging.

I just looked at my old High Schools wikipedia page and saw that our only famous alumni was Madeleine Sami. That makes me really happy, I am sure there are plenty…

a bug-eyed Christian sadist

These are apparently cloned in some central lab and assigned to every high school in New Zealand.

An intelligent quiet bookish lad, asked to leave school at 14 because he didn't hand in his homework – and got told he couldn't play league for his club if…

Did anyone ever learn any lesson from being strapped other than not to get caught, or that grown-up are shits?

Not to follow the teacher's instructions

We also wore shorts 365 days a year in the junior school, but we were boys in the bloom of youth and young men at that age are made of stern stuff, I don't remember the cold being anything other than just part of life.

I just…

Fortunately, West Auckland Grammar School (WAGS) was coeducational, which smoothed…

after years of academic underperformance and financial mis-management

No comment on the financial mismanagement, I had no idea I was only a student.

But on the academic underperformance – that was a matter of perspective. In my year we sent 7 or 8 of us off to University.…

I've asked him what it was like in the late 60s and early 70s. I never got many answers. For my part I was safely steered away into a Catholic boys' school with a similar…

I was zoned to go there and my parents fought the education department valiantly to get me into Green Bay High School.

So I went to a school with no streaming, no corporal punishment, where we called our teachers by their first names and played sports with them – and…

I was a smartarse and got thrashed for it on a few occasions and mostly without much complaint. However one day I was caught smoking and fraternising…

boob-bearers

I can't help it but this just makes me think of very solemn looking men wearing suitably uncomfortable clothes carrying purple cushions. And as the enter the room someone would announce "all rise for the royal boob bearers"

Probably the result of watching too much Monty Python

School was, for me, totally absurd, extremely violent, strange, sad, but also sometimes quite funny. I think this…

Troglodytic Scions of the Squatocracy

Great name for a band!

I am minded now to wonder what would have happened at primary school if I had politely but firmly declined to extend my hand for strapping, explaining that it was wrong.

When I was about 7, the teacher tried strapping a girl called Josie on the palm for some misdemenour.…

Lol. Kudos, even if it was accidental.

I forgot to emphasise it was completely accidental. I had no idea that I was meant to leave my hand in the path of that piece of leather ... that would obviously hurt!

The strap missed my hand and went on to slap loudly and firmly on the teacher's bare leg leaving the most startling red welt.

Lol. Kudos, even if it was accidental.

I am minded now to wonder what would have happened at primary school if I had politely but firmly declined to extend my hand for strapping, explaining that it was wrong.

The first time I was strapped I remember not really knowing what was going on, so when…

He predicted that we would do badly at university

When I skipped seventh form, I got the same predictions that I would fail horribly. (If you're reading, teachers at Rangitoto College in the early 1990s: thanks so much for all the encouragement.) Was this some sort of generally agreed teaching…

I was zoned to go there and my parents fought the education department valiantly to get me into Green Bay High School.

So I went to a…

The other disturbing aspect of Paremoremo Boy's High that you've failed to touch on is…

3410 wrote:

Luxury! At [redacted] boarding school we had death squads of seniors armed with cricket-balls-in-pillow-cases. Properly inflicted canings and strappings were a walk in the park, by comparison.

Jesus wept, cricket balls in pillow cases is almost…

I think back to old Tokoroa North School – which was relatively new and reasonably decilicious at the time – and I'm jealous.

What was wrong with Tokoroa North School?!

My 18 yr old, 7th form son has just been stood down from Feilding High School for defiance for not getting his hair cut.

It's criminal that schools still think they can get away with that sort of shit.

If you haven't already, try www.youthlaw.co.nz, they might be able to…

My year group guide once told me, "You'll recognise who the boarders are, because they won't particularly like you."…

I still reckon though the worst thing they inflicted on me at school was folk dancing. Oh the humanity.

I had reason to think back to my primary school folks dancing days this week when I attended my oldest's class's danceshow at school. The kids were given a theme at…

It had started with Deformed Rabbit,

Ah, Stephen. Quoting from the classics again.

We had a bizarre thing at View Road School (stds 3-form 2) called the Green Bag. This was the bag the strap was kept in. If you got six you got your name written on it.

It…

It had started with Deformed Rabbit, but the encouragement of my peers was too much to…

The strap lay on the desk in front of him. It was a formidably solid-looking lump of leather; I could almost have mistaken it for a piece of wood. It bore the inscription: "Approved by the Department of Education, Wellington."

I am minded now to wonder what would have happened…

I would just like to take this opportunity to apologise to any staff members of Fairfield College, Hamilton, between 1982 and 1986. While I moaned about various things at the time, I now realise how easy I had it.

I had a similar realisation when I left school at got…

It seems to me that so many people who had…

I myself went to a namby-pamby liberal high school with vertical forms and peer support and no streaming or corporal punishment. I was going to be a pregnant failure.

Disillusioned. What do we learn from all our time at school?

At schools like the one David describes (and no it's not well disguised – ask the coach), I'll bet the dominant lessons are still not to stand out, stick up for others or question authority. Unfortunately that does not…

His words lingered in my ears as I passed out of the school gates for the last time: "You're going to be a failure, Haywood. Remember that."

Funny. I remember a teacher of mine saying exactly the same thing to me as I left the hallowed halls of learning/venal institution…

hmmm Can't think of any rugby obsessed schools there...oh wait... its !

I wonder how many do exist . The sad thing is, I remember that when I was at EGGS. Rugby was, then and now, one of the important aspects of the equivalent boys school. A student I know,…

canings and strappings

Luxury! At [redacted] boarding school we had death squads of seniors armed with cricket-balls-in-pillow-cases. Properly inflicted canings and strappings were a walk in the park, by comparison.

hmmm Can't think of any rugby obsessed schools there...oh wait... its !

Buggery — posted the wrong version of the article! Thanks for pointing that out, matey. Those names have now been er... corrected.

Ian MacKay wrote:

Hey Haywwood! We want to go back to the good old…

sits upon a low peninsula in the mudflats between [Removed by DH]

hmmm Can't think of any rugby obsessed schools there...oh wait... its !

You secret is safe with me, and anyone else in Auckland...

:)

Apart from altering certain details so as to obscure the identity of the school (and various people), I have striven to be accurate in this recollection. Any mistakes are the result of my increasingly aged memory. I know that a number of my former classmates are Public…