The whole world and it's mother is currently talking about Chris Rock and Will Smith's rather shocking display at the Oscars. While everyone debates who was in the wrong/right, and whether Will should be allowed to keep his Oscar, it just took me right back to my school days and all the ridiculous fights that used to take place. I remember most of us didn't even try to break it up or go looking for a teacher - we just stood around admiring the view, and then gossiping about it later!
I always did feel sorry for one girl who's older brother was a history teacher at our school. Never a good idea I think to attend a school where one of your family teaches. And as her brother was quite eccentric, she often had to hear rather unflattering comments said about him which often ended in a slanging match or a full on fight.
What are your memories of playground fights at school. Don't lie you know you had them!
My head is reeling from all these school fight stories that you've all been telling us about. I grew up in the Far East where schools were very strict. Though that would be nothing compared to what would happen when the complaint reached home! So while we didn't have the full-scale fights that you've all been talking about, that's not to say that the kids I went to school with were little angels either. But apart from a bit of pushing, shoving, hair pulling, throwing someone's books into a field, there wasn't much going on. Thank goodness!
It’s strange. I went to high school (1973-1977) in what was supposedly a rough part of Sydney (Australia) yet when I look back it was incredibly tame. There was the odd fight, often between friends, but little other unpleasantness. Quite a lot of kids smoked, but I never saw any so-called harder drugs or booze. No teenage pregnancies (that I know of).
Of course, that was at school. What kids did away from school, who knows? There were a few boys (and the odd girl, that was usually the girlfriend of one of these boys) that were a bit on the rough side, as in intimidating, but if you kept clear of them, they usually didn’t bother you.
There was the odd fight between two boys (I think I recall once, a pair of girls fighting, or maybe twice, but that’s it) but it never got out of hand and there was usually a teacher not far away to break it up, often to the disappointment of the gathered crowd.
I was never one for fighting which is a good thing because my mum would of had a lot to say about that. But I do remember one fight between these two girls in my year (trust me there were tons!) At the time I think we were Year 10, and it was during break and they had a fight in the hallway. I can't remember what it was about but what I do remember is that they were proper going for it. Proper battering each other. I don't even know where all the teachers were. OK I know a lot of them would of been in the staff room because we were on break. But there would of been deputy teachers in their offices or the odd teacher walking around checking on everyone. But no - nothing! I still remember how proper rough up one of the girl's hair got. At the time I thought it was real entertaining and a damn good fight. But now that I'm a parent I would be mad if one of my kids got involved in a fight. At school or anywhere for that matter.
We've all seen some spectacularly stupid fights at school in our time but when that I remember quite well wasn't even a fist fight but it reminded me of how vicious people could be even without resorting to violence. It was during drama class and we were watching the lower year's end of term assignment which was a play they'd written and had to perform. And before and after the performance a group of VERY mean girls took great pleasure in humiliating one of the girls in my drama group (we were in the year above them) who was sat in the audience, all because she was then going out with one of the best looking boys in our year. All this took place right in front of her boyfriend and even though she was upset, she did handle it very well by keeping calm and not making a scene which is probably what they wanted. But it was very unpleasant to watch and it still makes me feel sad when I think about it because it was one of my first experiences at quite a young age at how girls/young women can be quite spiteful to other girls. I teach my daughter that such behaviour is unacceptable and I would be so disappointed if she joined in with what is essentially bullying.
I can't lie guys. If there was a fight at school, chances are I was involved in it. Haha! What can I say, I'm a fiery redhead. I'm not someone who would take people's crap and I'm still not. So if someone said something that I thought was way over the line, even if it wasn't aimed at me, I would have to speak up. Most of the time it would just be yelling but there were a few times it was more than just words but thankfully nothing that would get anyone kicked out of school. I'm happy to say that now that I'm an adult, I deal with idiot behaviour alot better! LOL!
I'm so tempted to comment on last week's Oscars but I won't because I'll be here all night ranting away!
I actually had two girls at my school - one a year below me and the other a year or two above me, who were the sisters of my maths teacher. Like your history teacher, he was also known for being a little on the eccentric side, and boy could he shout if you got on the wrong side of him, so some of us were a little scared of him (me included!) But he was also very funny, kind-hearted and generous. I don't know if his sisters ever heard anything mean being said about him but there definitely weren't any fights about it. That I knew of anyway.
And now onto the subject of actual fights that took place at my school, well I can relate to the comments from those of you who said that fights at your school were pretty much two-a-penny. They were at mine as well - and I went to a convent school!
But one that stands out is one that happened in our form room at break time when two girls who were on-off friends got into a fight about - of all things - whose hair was the nicest! It started off with a silly comment, escalated into a war of words, and then the next thing you know, they were smacking each other all over the classroom! Of course we did nothing, just stood around making comments and lapping it all up. I do remember as the fight raged on and desks and chairs were being shoved about the place, I did get my knees crushed between two desks and had to be rescued by my bestie - but no harm done. Except to the girls on-off friendship. I don't think they were able to salvage their friendship, and one of them left our school shortly afterwards anyway. All I can say is it's a bloody good job we didn't have camera phones in those days!
I can’t seem to “reply” to the original post for some reason, only reply to the replies, so I copied and pasted it, unless I’m doing something wrong, which is likely. So, in response to the original post …
I always did feel sorry for one girl whose older brother was a history teacher at our school. Never a good idea I think to attend a school where one of your family teaches. And as her brother was quite eccentric, she often had to hear rather unflattering comments said about him which often ended in a slanging match or a full-on fight.
It has nothing to do with fighting, but reading this, in high school there was a girl whose mother was a science teacher and she was in the same class. I don’t recall any difficulties (at least any apparent ones, as I wasn't in that class) but it can’t have been too easy having a parent as a teacher, or vice-versa, even if it was only for one subject.
Talking about fighting at school, there was a memorable, but bizarre moment that occurred the year after I left school in 1977. I had started working and when I got home my mother or father told me the police had been around inquiring about an incident outside the school grounds. Apparently someone (named Morrison or Morrisey) was beaten-up or there was a fight, or whatever, and I was identified as the person doing the "bashing". The fact I was at work at the time of this incident and had an iron-clad alibi helped, even though I was hardly the 'type' that would do such a thing. To this day it remains a mystery, as to who the hell this Morrison/Morrisey was (a name totally unfamiliar to me at the time) or who dobbed me in, as someone apparently said the perpetrator was "James Murphy", and as far as I know I was the only James Murphy at my school. I did quiz people I knew that were still at school, but drew a blank. Very mysterious to say the least. 🤔
I grew up in what can only be described as the Wild West of Manchester LOL so when wasn't there a fight! LOL. But I think the craziest one has to be during Home Economics one time when one pupil accused another of stealing the onions she brought in to make that week's shepherds pie! And then after that when we had to bring our dishes up to the front, they both started slating each other's shep pies which led to a full on fight! The teacher not only had to separate them but yelled at one of us to go get the teacher next door to help her with the girls - one of who tried to choke the other with her tie! Of course we enjoyed the show. Maybe instead of shep pie we should of had popcorn and coke! LOL.
Haha! If I had to start listing all the fights that went on at our school we'll be here all week! haha! I am from Essex after all! But most of them were started by something absolutely ludicrous. But then isn't that how all school fights start?