Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms What could you have done better at school?

I went to a pretty good grammar school and did fine with the requisite haul of O and A levels, but never really saw the value of putting in more effort than was required to get a decent result. The only problem was that this was the late 1970s and the school thought that computers were only suitable for boys who were good at maths, never understanding that you actually need to be good at logic, and the two really aren't the same thing.

So I didn't discover the joys of IT until after I left university, was able to buy a ZX81, and taught myself. But it worked out ok in the end, so can't complain.

It puts my school (Secondary Modern) in context if I say it was focused on sport. Head was an ex Wales rugby player. I was in soccer team from the first week of joining the school up until I left. As PE teacher confirmed ’Jones, you have zero skill but are big enough to kick anybody’ I was a 6’ centre half by age 13.

Left without a single qualification age 15 so didn’t take a single exam. All my ’education’ of note was post school at technical college and later at Uni where to everyone’s amazement I squeaked through a degree in training and development and 2 years of a psychology degree (always regret not finishing).

The school years are my greatest regret, had I worked at more than the art of the sliding tackle and obtaining dates with girls I would have saved a year at technical college as I had to complete a foundation year before they would allow me to leave the craft level City and Guilds lads and join the Technicians level course. School days were great fun but academically a disaster for me, too much focus on being in a winning sports team, we were excused maths lessons on days of away matches do we could travel! Never be allowed with today’s target driven syllabus.

BR
Colin

Another grammar school kid from the 70s here. Not metal or woodwork taught but tech drawing was. Maths, science and T drawing interested me but no interest in history or languages resulted in a fairly unbalanced bunch of qualifications.

With a bit of effort I’d have done better I’m sure.

I’ve travelled a fair bit but wished I’d gone further afield

Wish I’d bought my Morgan earlier so I could have used it more before this bloody virus

Gosh Peter , I went to Brunel by choice to read psychology , I had a great time although all the girls I dated wanted deep and meaningful conversations when I had a few alternative ideas.

I was there from 69 to 74, doing a 4 year thin sandwich. The first year was at the Acton Campus, we moved to Uxbridge for the 2nd to 4th. When I arrived on the Uxbridge campus it was, as is said today, work in progress. The Biology/Chemistry building was brand new, the library but a dream, as was on campus halls and girls.. I think the ratio was 12 to 1...
I lived at home, near Esher and drove in every day, Surrey County Council paid my fees and £1.45 a day public transport rate, which just about kept the car on the road. Living off campus was a two edged sword, I didn't engage much in university social life, but I knew where to find girls at home...

Happy days!

A few years ago when I was doing my Psychology degree with the OU (I was a 16 year old school leaver) I went through all my old school reports. It made for fascinating reading as it mirrored my life and the influence was clear. My early reports were glowing - I was keen and had a high standard of reading and a keen interest in everything (my parents were poor but recognised the value of education). As my schooling progressed it became clear that I only did well at subjects where I had an interest. Then at 12 my performance nose-dived which corresponded with my parents getting divorced which was practically unheard of back then. I truanted a lot and got into a bad crown. I was lucky that I scraped through 5 O levels - the minimum requirement to get me a job as a Deck Cadet in the Merchant Navy at 16. Boy, was I lucky; my world expanded and I flourished after a shaky start.

Attended.

Edited forgot the full stop, stupid boy...

I never truanted. How about that!

So looking at our collective stories, we all buggered around a lot but still ended up with Morgans?

Just goes to show you Dave, takes all sorts to get a Morgan

Yeah it does for sure.

I could have gone to Salford Uni to read Engineering, but I went to visit on a winters day and the place was horrible. Had I realise I could have travelled daily I might have gone.