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Authors: Brian Conaghan
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Clemâs moving. In the main, my concerns were about his education more than the lifestyle change; however, I understand that they are not mutually exclusive.
As I have informed you, he demonstrated signs of excellence while here. My hope was that this would be continued. My fear was that it would be eradicated somewhat by the upheaval. On the other hand, itâs all part of being a teacher. Students come, students go. One canât, or rather shouldnât, become emotionally attached. Thatâs easier said than done I suppose. Especially given the circumstances. Some of our past pupils have stayed in contact with the school and with certain teachers. We encourage a sort of nurturing environment when our students go on to brighter and better things. I think past rectors like to take credit for their success. We all know that this is utter bumpkin, of course.
To my knowledge his father wasnât a wealthy man, he came from what you would call working-class stock. Clem won a scholarship to this school. Itâs our way of paying lip service to discrimination, you see. Each year-group has two scholarships available to those who, by comparison, are deemed disadvantaged. Each applicant has to write an essay and go through an interview process. Oh nothing special, we simply enquire as to the applicantâs motives and try to delve further under the applicantâs skin. Itâs more like an informal chat really. They can be invaluable actually; in the past we have received some wonderful essays from boys, nevertheless when the applicant comes up against the admission committee it can be quickly established that they wouldnât be a suitable candidate for our school at all. We were unanimous with Clem. We believed that not only would he fit in well with the fabric and ethos of the school but he would also enhance it along the way. He had so much to offer, both personally and academically. I think now we are all questioning our decision-making process and our ability to be immune to hoodwinking. Of course nobody would dare raise the issue, but there were, and are, some knowing looks and gazes within the staff room.
When Clem left the school we were informed that it was for family reasons, in that his father had lost his job and had taken the family to Scotland in order to take up a new position. I think he worked in the sales industry, as a kind of travelling salesman, however, you would need clarification on that. A difficult time for all of us, the man lost his job and, unfortunately, had to take measures to protect his family. And now this. One tends to think what would have happened if the job market had been more secure down these parts. In an ideal world Clem could have conceivably continued his education with us, but, alas, our scholarship doesnât extend to boarding. Perhaps that should be reviewed.
I think he fitted in well when he came here. Obviously he was different and we are always wary of the problems students in Clemâs situation can cause. By that, I mean we have to keep an eye on the students around him. That he doesnât become isolated or ostracized within the class. That the scholarship students are not singled out for special treatmentâ¦of course, I am referring to bullying. It is a disease here in the same way as it is in the comprehensive system. Some may say in schools like ours it has significantly profound effects. You see, our students have all the clever psychological attributes to inflict deep-rooted damage upon those they judge inferior to them. It is a terrible affliction that some of those born into money carry with them throughout their lives. One does wish that this affliction, this hubris, will be their eventual downfall. In many cases I am happy to report that it is.
Clem was free of this. Did he suffer at the hands of anyone? One thing for sure about Clem Curran was that he didnât suffer fools; those who tried to spread their bile were quickly and
As I have informed you, he demonstrated signs of excellence while here. My hope was that this would be continued. My fear was that it would be eradicated somewhat by the upheaval. On the other hand, itâs all part of being a teacher. Students come, students go. One canât, or rather shouldnât, become emotionally attached. Thatâs easier said than done I suppose. Especially given the circumstances. Some of our past pupils have stayed in contact with the school and with certain teachers. We encourage a sort of nurturing environment when our students go on to brighter and better things. I think past rectors like to take credit for their success. We all know that this is utter bumpkin, of course.
To my knowledge his father wasnât a wealthy man, he came from what you would call working-class stock. Clem won a scholarship to this school. Itâs our way of paying lip service to discrimination, you see. Each year-group has two scholarships available to those who, by comparison, are deemed disadvantaged. Each applicant has to write an essay and go through an interview process. Oh nothing special, we simply enquire as to the applicantâs motives and try to delve further under the applicantâs skin. Itâs more like an informal chat really. They can be invaluable actually; in the past we have received some wonderful essays from boys, nevertheless when the applicant comes up against the admission committee it can be quickly established that they wouldnât be a suitable candidate for our school at all. We were unanimous with Clem. We believed that not only would he fit in well with the fabric and ethos of the school but he would also enhance it along the way. He had so much to offer, both personally and academically. I think now we are all questioning our decision-making process and our ability to be immune to hoodwinking. Of course nobody would dare raise the issue, but there were, and are, some knowing looks and gazes within the staff room.
When Clem left the school we were informed that it was for family reasons, in that his father had lost his job and had taken the family to Scotland in order to take up a new position. I think he worked in the sales industry, as a kind of travelling salesman, however, you would need clarification on that. A difficult time for all of us, the man lost his job and, unfortunately, had to take measures to protect his family. And now this. One tends to think what would have happened if the job market had been more secure down these parts. In an ideal world Clem could have conceivably continued his education with us, but, alas, our scholarship doesnât extend to boarding. Perhaps that should be reviewed.
I think he fitted in well when he came here. Obviously he was different and we are always wary of the problems students in Clemâs situation can cause. By that, I mean we have to keep an eye on the students around him. That he doesnât become isolated or ostracized within the class. That the scholarship students are not singled out for special treatmentâ¦of course, I am referring to bullying. It is a disease here in the same way as it is in the comprehensive system. Some may say in schools like ours it has significantly profound effects. You see, our students have all the clever psychological attributes to inflict deep-rooted damage upon those they judge inferior to them. It is a terrible affliction that some of those born into money carry with them throughout their lives. One does wish that this affliction, this hubris, will be their eventual downfall. In many cases I am happy to report that it is.
Clem was free of this. Did he suffer at the hands of anyone? One thing for sure about Clem Curran was that he didnât suffer fools; those who tried to spread their bile were quickly and
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